Stain on a camera?

[vineyard]

Hello,

I took some shots of the Sun on Monday morning.  Lunt 50, ASI178MC.  I noticed some strange things - I suspect it means that there's a stain on my camera, but I thought I would check.  Two photos below - the raw PNG files turned into JPG (no manipulation or reorientation at all) - taken in chronological order.

The first taken at 1151, the second at 1153.  All settings identical between the photos.  "Up" is SSW in these photos so as the Sun moves across the sky, it moves towards the top left corner of the screenshot.  Those patches on the surface cannot possibly be solar features b/c the sun surely cannot be rotating that fast (also their relative orientation would change between the patch near the solar pole and the solar equator).  Also those patches were not there on white light viewing w a separate visual scope.

So I suspect somehow my camera has some stains on it that need cleaning.  ASI's website suggests ethanol and Q-tips.  I'm guessing methanol would also be ok?  And that acetone or toluene (like cotol 240) would be v bad ideas?  (The reason for asking the latter is that I know cotol is used to clean surfaces before the application of glues etc - but I suspect it would also strip any coatings on the optics?).

Thank you!

Vin

 

[Davey-T]

Just take some flats to use when processing that should take care of it.

Dave

[vineyard]

24 minutes ago, Davey-T said:

Just take some flats to use when processing that should take care of it.

Dave

Ah clever, thanks (I am a complete AP newbie!).  Cheers.