When life gives you lemons - Solar Sunday animation

[Luke]

First let me say I *adore* my 60mm frac, it makes a case for being my favourite scope - even above my 16 inch dob!! - as it is my very much used grab and go for solar. But when I have the goto mount out at the weekend and there's a big clear patch, I love nothing more than to get my 120mm frac out on Sol.

On Sunday the seeing was shocking. I switched down from the 120mm to the 85mm. The seeing still sucked. So it was out with the trusty 60mm, looking a bit underkill on the HEQ5 mount I must say... After grabbing the disc in six tiles and running out of something to image, I thought why not take an animation. I got about 40 minutes worth until the clouds swooped in. Ho hum, maybe this weekend the 120mm can get a crack at Sol!

I took 1500 frames per capture (about 45 seconds recording time per movie) and left a one minute gap after recording stopped before starting the next frame.

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30th November, 2014

Tele Vue 60mm, Quark Chromosphere, Grasshopper 3 (ICX687) video camera, 0.5x reducer

[Montana]

Nice action :) and well done for actually getting 40 minutes of sunshine!!

Alexandra

[sooot]

Thats a great animation. Very natural looking. Old sol playing hard to get around here

[ronin]

When life gives you lemons

  My thoughts get as far as Lemom Meringue Pie. :hello2:

[spaceboy]

impressive as always Luke

[Knight of Clear Skies]

Great result.

[Davey-T]

Very good, I "wasted" the two hours of Sun here on Sunday trying a full disc mosaic but the seeing deteriorated so much by the end it was pants. Must try an animation next time.

Dave

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

Great animation!

BTW, if a TV60 seems small on an HEQ5 mount, you should see my LS35 on the Vixen Great Polaris

[Iainp]

Wonderful! I'd give anything to get that kind of surface detail.  And again, love the colours.

[Stardust]

love it, makes you realise just how quick things are moving up there

[Luke]

Thanks, all!

Michael, I'd love to see that if you get a chance to take a snap! I saw a Lunt 60 on I think a Celeston CGE a few years ago, very cute! I think a big SCT normally goes on it!

Alexandra, I would wail that it's been three weeks in a row where I haven't been able to use my 120mm now, but probably best not to if your SF100 etalons are in hibernation

[Stu]

That's brilliant Luke, amazing how much action there is in such a short time. Looks great despite the seeing.

Not had my scopes out properly for ages :-(

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Psychobilly]

I don't get to see the sun from home for another few months because of the mountain  and then below  tree line ... So thanks for the "fix"...

Peter...

[Montana]

They are not in hibernation because of bad seeing, I just can't see the Sun at all. I'm hoping that over Christmas I can get it all in the boot of the car and have a solar session at my mum and dad's house. The stupid new neighbours by them cut down a 500 year old Oak tree which was protected because it blocked their light, so now hopefully they can see the Sun in mid winter in the front garden. I can guarantee Christmas will be cloudy for the whole 2 weeks now

Alexandra

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

In my case a row of trees blocks the sun from my back garden. I could in principle work around that because my kit is highly portable, but the clouds running from here to the Ural mountains by the look of it do a much better job of blocking the views

[Pete Presland]

very nice animation!

[Luke]

Thanks, Stu, Peter and Pete!

Stu, hope the scopes get to flex their muscles soon!

Peter, I am lucky I can catch Sol all year round, ducking under a few telegraph pole wires, etc. Hope you can get out at the weekend for a mobile view?

Alexandra, ah, so the SF100 is not done for the year yet with a bit of luck If I recall its nemesis is the cherry tree? I am hopeful seeing will be okay for my 120 through Dec, it was not too bad today

[David Smith]

Fab animation Luke.