Hot pixel effect viewing in HA

[bomberbaz]

I have just come in from viewing, going to give it a break for a while.

I have just experienced what I can best describe as what appeared to be a hot pixelisation of my view of the sun.

Lots of tiny light specs flashing for micro seconds as I was viewing, very curious.

Has anybody else ever had such an experience?

If so, what is the cause. I am currently assuming doing too much at the eyepiece but don't know that for sure.

Steve

[vlaiv]

I think it might be photon shot noise.

Eye / brain combination is very good at filtering this out - at very low light level when it should be obvious - we never see it.

I think that this mental noise filter is engaged in particular circumstances and it fails in other circumstances - most notably with Ha in bright day - when eye/brain is "not expecting" this to happen as there is plenty of light around. It happened to me once with imaging Ha filter - not solar one, just 7nm wide 1.25" filter - I was in dim room and it was really sunny outside and I looked thru the filter at outside scene.

It looked a bit like regular scene (in deep red color) - with old cathode ray tube TV not being tuned type noise superimposed over the scene.

Anyway - noise filter thing is the explanation I came up with - I might be wrong and it could be something entirely different - so far that explanation is only feasible I've found so far.

[bomberbaz]

Sounds feasible to me vlaiv, just slightly strange thing to notice.

Your brain can play a lot of tricks on you at times, this was probably one of those times. 

[Solar B]

I was viewing the AR on Wednesday morning and it was clearly defined 

as being a dark arrow headish feature against the disk.

Then when I returned in the afternoon it had all but disappeared .... I thought 

it must have erupted and perhaps you were viewing the eruption ! who knows ?

Brian 

[bomberbaz]

6 hours ago, Solar B said:

I was viewing the AR on Wednesday morning and it was clearly defined 

as being a dark arrow headish feature against the disk.

Then when I returned in the afternoon it had all but disappeared .... I thought 

it must have erupted and perhaps you were viewing the eruption ! who knows ?

Brian 

vliav's idea sounds more feasible given what I was seeing. This was like flashing pixels over the top of the actual sun. Most bizarre and a little un-nerving at first.

Steve