March 17, 2023: Awesome solar lunchtime session

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

Got the Coronado SolarMax-II 60 mm out for a spin during my lunch break. A huge prominence between the 10 and 11 o'clock positions immediately jumped out at me. It looked like a huge candle flame, probably some 120,000 km high. It is in the same area as the big prom I spotted two days ago, but it has clearly changed shape (if it is the same). Just below the 9 o'clock position, a detached prom, showing up as a red blob at about half the height of the big prom from the sun's limb.  There are many minor proms around the eastern limb, in particular near the big sunspot close to the limb at the 3 o'clock position. About halfway between the disc centre and the limb, in the 10 o'clock position, two very compact, very dark filaments are visible. Detuning did not show much in the way of sunspots at this location, so despite their dark appearance on-band, they are not sunspots. above them some weak plage can be spotted. Lower on the disc, towards the 7 and 8 o'clock position, various areas of brighter plage can be spotted.

Several students and faculty members dropped by to have a look, and they were all suitably impressed with the show the sun was putting on.

[Nik271]

I was watching this as well between 2 and 3pm UT. This being  only my second Ha session with my new quark on a 100 f7 refractor. It's amazing to see these prominences evolve and change shape over the course of an hour, the energy involved must be tremendous.