What the heck is this? Sun in Ha 17-11-12

[DrRobin]

Hi,

I managed to catch this annular ring just to the right of Sunspot 1613. Anyone know what it is?

It was there about 11:30 on the full disc and still there about an hour later on the 2x.

More 2x and full disc with the proms to follow.

[DrRobin]

And the full disc with proms....

[Baz Pearce]

Awesome shots DrRobin!!

Looks as if it's a symmetrical arch rising up from the surface . If it is what amazing timing you have. Nothing appears out of ordinary in the X-ray output on GEOS at the time. http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/rt_plots/xray_1m.html

Baz.

[sologuitarist61]

Great shots Robin - well done! No idea what the ring is though. I sat out for a couple of hours earlier and although there were breaks in the cloud they rarely lasted more than a few seconds, so gave up in the end!!

[Montana]

These are absolutely amazing pictures!

The ring, I have never seen anything quite like it, it looks like a double arch filament coming round to identical footpoints. I wish I hadn't been lazy and taken the scope out, I did have sunshine but had a terrible headache and couldn't be bothered, now I wish I had, blasted headache!

Alexandra

[Cath]

mmmm I do like those images DrRobin!

[Montana]

I'm guessing now, but perhaps it is just a circular filament. Filaments form, dividing areas of polarity along a neutral line. Here is an image from SDO showing this region and there is a circular area where there are no field lines even though there is a big polarity to the side. It's just a guess.

Alexandra

[DrRobin]

Hi,

Thanks everyone. I took a quick shot of the full disc between gaps in the cloud, then as it started to rain, packed up and started processing the image. When I saw the ring I thought it might be a dust spec or something, but it was visible on the original videos and moved with the sun spot, so realised it must have been a real feature.

I then set my scope up again and waited for the cloud to clear to get the 2x around 1pm. As luck would have it, it came out very sunny here after 2pm, but since I had all of the videos I needed took the dog for a walk instead.

I haven't seen anything like it before on anyone else's pictures so thanks Alexandra and Baz for the suggestions, just lucky I guess, right place at the right time.

[DrRobin]

Hi,

Thanks for the SDO image. I wonder if it will be possible to overlay the SDO image with my Ha image to see how it lines up?

[KE400]

A great capture Robin, it looks like a circular fillament to me but I'm no expert.

You're getting some great detail.

[Montana]

Download the image and try

http://sdowww.lmsal.com/sdomedia/SunInTime/2012/11/17/f_HMImagpfss.jpg

Alexandra

[DrRobin]

And finally the other 2x images. The first was taken around just to the left of the centre of the disc. There were so many active regions it just looks like one long area of disturbance.

Just to the left of centre

Top right

The proms to the lower left. (This is probably the remained of the big prom from the previous day?)

The montage of the SDO will have to wait until tomorrow, we are going out for dinner.

[DrRobin]

Hi,

I posted the picture on Spaceweather.com and someone replied with an explanation of what I saw.....

nice job! You capture the moment just before a magnetic fillament reconnected to discharge into a solar flare.

The visible ring is a magnetic loop trace, that slowly grew after material condensed. This field positioned itself toward the opposing charge or magnetic force. Similar to water droplets attracting to a statically charged comb.

Posted by amplelight 2012-11-17 16:50:43

[Baz Pearce]

Result!!

Well done DrRobin.

[Montana]

Yes, on the other forum someone caught the flare in progress

Alexandra