My first live sun spot.

[col]

With the weather stopping my new Dob from looking up, I decided to give solar viewing a try, as I came across a small circle of solar film a friend gave me years ago which I kept it in the pages of an astro book. 

Anyway out came my startravel 102 mm refractor, which I originally got as a grab and go. 

Removing the centre reducing cap of the aperture dust cover, I zip tied this piece of solar filter over it and found it to be very secure. 

So pointing the scope to the sun until it disappeared behind the tube of the scope, I found the sun easily and was immediately grabbed by the muck on my 25 mm eyepiece. 

After checking I realised it wasn't muck but a nice solar spot with a few smaller ones trailing off upwards and to the left at about five o'clock of the sun's disk. This was at approximately 16.00pm.

I'm sure you can imagine how I was feeling with this being the first time I'v ever looked at the sun. It was almost the same wow feeling I had with my first view of jupiter and saturn 20 odd years ago. 

Over about half an hour the sun spots move up and to the left a little i think, but I was that taken with the thought of actually seeing the dark centre and lighter outer of the spot that I wasn't really paying attention to any movement. 

So that's just from my memory after nipping in to get a zoom eyepiece to try. 

It is a 24x8 Astro Engineering one I was gifted by a friend a long time ago. 

I was pleasantly surprised how at 24x it was just as crisp, but moving up towards 8x the field of view got narrower. 

I found at about 20 to 18 mm the best view for me. 

I'm still buzzing from what I saw with it being my first time, and already have a full solar filter that will fit this scope and also my tal100r  if i want to track. 

Hopefully I'll have some pics when I get sorted with my nexyz mount. 

 

 

[Gonariu]

Have you thought about buying a sun filter with full aperture or glass or with a special film (for example mylar)?

Edited August 4, 2022 by Gonariu

[col]

10 hours ago, Gonariu said:

Have you thought about buying a sun filter with full aperture or glass or with a special film (for example mylar)?

Hi Gonariu. 

Iv actually got one, but it hasn't arrived yet. It has adjuster screws on the frame so it can fit over the top of the tube. I should have it by the weekend. 

[Gonariu]

13 hours ago, col said:

Hi Gonariu. 

Iv actually got one, but it hasn't arrived yet. It has adjuster screws on the frame so it can fit over the top of the tube. I should have it by the weekend. 

Hi col,
excellent buy, I had found it in glass a few years ago, discounted by 50% (I paid 35 euros) and it was a bargain, every time I can I look at the Sun and make a drawing of it with an achromat 80/400; I really like seeing our star.

[paulastro]

On 03/08/2022 at 19:23, col said:

With the weather stopping my new Dob from looking up, I decided to give solar viewing a try, as I came across a small circle of solar film a friend gave me years ago which I kept it in the pages of an astro book. 

Anyway out came my startravel 102 mm refractor, which I originally got as a grab and go. 

Removing the centre reducing cap of the aperture dust cover, I zip tied this piece of solar filter over it and found it to be very secure. 

So pointing the scope to the sun until it disappeared behind the tube of the scope, I found the sun easily and was immediately grabbed by the muck on my 25 mm eyepiece. 

After checking I realised it wasn't muck but a nice solar spot with a few smaller ones trailing off upwards and to the left at about five o'clock of the sun's disk. This was at approximately 16.00pm.

I'm sure you can imagine how I was feeling with this being the first time I'v ever looked at the sun. It was almost the same wow feeling I had with my first view of jupiter and saturn 20 odd years ago. 

Over about half an hour the sun spots move up and to the left a little i think, but I was that taken with the thought of actually seeing the dark centre and lighter outer of the spot that I wasn't really paying attention to any movement. 

So that's just from my memory after nipping in to get a zoom eyepiece to try. 

It is a 24x8 Astro Engineering one I was gifted by a friend a long time ago. 

I was pleasantly surprised how at 24x it was just as crisp, but moving up towards 8x the field of view got narrower. 

I found at about 20 to 18 mm the best view for me. 

I'm still buzzing from what I saw with it being my first time, and already have a full solar filter that will fit this scope and also my tal100r  if i want to track. 

Hopefully I'll have some pics when I get sorted with my nexyz mount. 

 

 

Congratulations on your first solar observation col. I hope it's the first of many.  The Sun is a very dynamic object in white light and Hydrogen Alpha.  It provides endless opportunities to see changes on its surface.  As activity picks up in the current solar you couldnt have chosen a better time to start !  🙂

[col]

Iv just recieved this off a mate but will need a little fettling to fit safely. As it's a five inch, and mine is four inch.