Super sun today 15/4/14

[Moonshane]

Wow. lots of detail on the sun today in white light. Have a look if you get a chance

[Bizibilder]

That looks very bust compared to yesterdays disc!

[Mark at Beaufort]

Great sketches Shane. I have just been observing with the PST. Sunspot 2036 has an incredible bright Plage -  I am expecting something might happen in that area. Will take out the 4" Astro Tech and have a look in white light - will take some photos.

[Moonshane]

Nice one Mark

I should possibly start labelling them. the group to the right in my sketch looks like it may 'explode' too. here's hoping for another night of widespread aurorae!

[JemC]

Very nice indeed,

 I wish I could sketch as good as that

Regards

[Umbraldot]

Nice sketch. I counted 18 sunspots in AR2035 and think you show the same.

[Mark at Beaufort]

Well I got out the Astro Tech with the Herschel Wedge and Continuum filter and this is the photo that I produced. I converted the photo into Mono and changed the position to the same as your sketch Shane. I really must start to sketch

[neural]

Saw this post on my way home from work - got home just before sunset, didn't have time to get the scope out but held the filter over one binocular lens (don't try this at home) and wow! That's a very spotty Sun. 

Over the weekend I was looking at the Sun properly (white light) and was particularly struck by a spot with a white 'hole' in its dark centre. Is this a common thing to see? 

[Umbraldot]

Saw this post on my way home from work - got home just before sunset, didn't have time to get the scope out but held the filter over one binocular lens (don't try this at home) and wow! That's a very spotty Sun. 

Over the weekend I was looking at the Sun properly (white light) and was particularly struck by a spot with a white 'hole' in its dark centre. Is this a common thing to see?

Sunspots don't generally have "white holes". What you probably saw was a "light bridge" where bright filaments of Photosperic material appear to divide a dark sunspot umbra into two or more segments.

Another possibility is an umbral dot but that is a rare white light event sometimes mistaken for a white light flare. They are of lesser intensity and last far longer and are due to localised heating of a flux tube resulting in increased opacity, exposing deeper hotter layers. I've only seen one in 40 years! More likely to be the light bridge.

[neural]

Another possibility is an umbral dot but that is a rare white light event sometimes mistaken for a white light flare. They are of lesser intensity and last far longer and are due to localised heating of a flux tube resulting in increased opacity, exposing deeper hotter layers. I've only seen one in 40 years! More likely to be the light bridge.

Well I've learned something today. A quick google (bit.ly/1nqQ0Kv) suggests that umbral dots are at most 0.6 arcsec in diameter, and what I saw would have been at least two or three times that, so the light bridge sounds more plausible. 

Still, nice to hear about umbral dots from the horse's mouth!