A day of waiting - Solar Ha - 12-1-13

[DrRobin]

Very blue sky to the north of my and dark rain clouds to the south, more than a little frustrating. So after about an hour of debating will it or won't it, I saw a nice patch of blue coming and sent up my Lunt 60 in the garage.

I was just in time to get 2,000 frames for the surface and then after a short pause 500 frames for the proms before a large cloud covered the sun.

Noticing the large sunspot group on the left hand side, I changed from the focal reducer to a 2x barlow and got fleeting glimpses of the sun, but never enough to get any captures. 30 seconds later it was snowing, so I left the gear set up in the garage and put the door down.

An hour later we got a few gaps and I managed to get 300 frames of the big sunspot group, that is going to be a real corker when it clears.

[Bizibilder]

Well done - cloud/rain/snow dodging is so frustrating (I was set up and ready for an hour and a half today and managed precisely nuffin!!) I hope there are a few clear patches tomorrow as that big group looks really interesting.

[Sam]

Fantastic images, I'm glad you got a break in the clouds.

[DrRobin]

Thanks Roger and good luck for tomorrow. Forecast for me is for sun at midday, perfect, but there is more snow forecast as well, so who knows. Your forecast looks very similar, so fingers crossed.

Snow dodging is not too bad when I am set up in the garage, it has an automatic door, so i can just close the door and leave the scope tracking. The garage is currently the best place as the sun is only just above the roof at my observing site so heat from the central heating causes distortion. Mind you get some strange looks from passers by, but as I know most of my neighbours they are quite used to it.

[DrRobin]

Thanks Sam. Hope you get more clear skies and another capture today, that big sun spot group is really hotting up.

[KE400]

Impressive images Robin, looks like there is lots of activity going on at the moment. The fillaments and spots look great, lots to see when barlowed. With all that intense action around roughly the same area, I wonder if a CME may result? Definatley worth keeping an eye on that area if weather permits.

You mention the use of a focal reducer, can I ask what your set up is then, (I know the scope ) and where did you get the reducer from as it may be something for me to look into as like you say, when dodging cloud/rain/snow, that one shot may be all you have! I have a celestron FR for the edge 1100, just wondering which set up you use to get that FR shot? (FR/DMK?).

I'm toying with the idea of maybe venturing into purchasing the DMK31, my reckoning is that it would still be a 2 shot full disk mosaic just like the DMK41 but with a little more detail and less of an overlap when stitching together. At the moment I still haven't justified the exspense to myself yet .

Loving these Ha shots coming through, just wish I could add one of mine to them haha!

[DrRobin]

Hi Kevin,

I use a 0.5x 1.25" screw in focal reducer on a modified DMK nosepiece to achieve about 0.8x reduction. My 0.5x reducer is an Atik, but they are sold by several people, even cheap ones on eBay. I wrote a short thread on how I modified the nosepiece.

It is great for snap shots, as you get the full disc in one go, no messing around with mosaics and multiple exposures with the possibility of missing a bit of the sun in the process. Of course you do sacrifice detail, but with 2000 frames on a DMK41 there is enough when looking at the full image. I like to take a full image and then if there is anything worthwhile some close ups with a Barlow.

If you use a 0.5 on your DMK21 will that do the sun in two goes? Might be worth trying the Starzona FoV calculator before buying a 31. I used it when agonising over a DMK51 and concluded that the 51 wasn't worth the price hike for my set up.

It is really bright here this morning, but there is mist in the valley below me and currently high cloud over the sun. I am just going to take the dog out for a walk and will then get set up inthe garage again. Forecast says it will be clear at lunch time.

[KE400]

Thanks for the info, fingers crossed the weather Gods are good to you today. Looking forward to some more great images from you laters.

[DrRobin]

Hi,

The sun never cleared the high cloud. I got some really good views in the eyepiece and then focused the camera, great, but as soon as I started my capture a big bank of cloud rolled in and now it is gone totally. I didn't get anything in the end. I am still set up but the chances are slim, it looks like snow on it's way.

[scoobee]

loving the images, got some viewing in this morning looking good hoping to lay down some images?!

[Montana]

The full disc is absolutely magical great images!!

Alexandra