Solar photosphere 21, 25, & 26.06.24 [w/ AR 3712, 13, 20, & 19 respectively]

[josefk]

Getting into a bit of solar certainly keeps the sessions ticking over doesn't it 😉

Here are some recent scribbles - my beginners luck has evaporated and now i'm finding the process a bit frustrating but hey oh.

Friday the 21st - an early finish for work so decent altitude though posting this i see i have marked it ANT. II and it should definitely be III.

The sunspots in the full disk view got a bit big on me (i.e they are exaggerated) and AR 3713 grew a bit too much east/west in the detail too but i love these broken extended sunspots typified by AR 3712 and AR 3713.

This was yesterday - also shimmering and quite smudgy seeing at times:

 

..and finally just now. Seeing was better than ANT II in reality but probably not ANT. III overall. There is a teeny bit of interpretation in this one - i.e seeing what i knew i should be seeing BUT on the other hands there were a few seconds here and there when there was even more detail than this and very sharp "striation" in the penumbra. The sharply "toothed" border of the umbra was seen nearly all the time. There were moments when i could almost detect granulation around this sunspot too - almost, it definitely had a visually bright clear halo just off the darkening edge of the penumbra though i'm not sure if this is an optical contrast effect.

 

[AlcorAlly]

wow very nice study. Especially the last sketch with the detail shown against the larger context.

[josefk]

Thanks @AlcorAlly, i like to sketch the whole disk to "record the day" as it were then pick the most interesting sunspot or group for a close up. Takes about an hour give or take...I've started a dedicated WL sketch pad 🤣

 

[SwiMatt]

Wooow some really nice sketches @josefk. Sun spots always end up a bit too big... one tries to think of them as stars in an open cluster but it's just not a simple exercise to find out the single positions without losing touch with the whole!

I really like your sun spots detail studies. I tried a couple myself but got nowhere close to yours! I am studying your technique 🧐

Edited June 27 by SwiMatt

[YogSothoth]

Great sketches. My sunspots are often somewhat larger than reality, although looking back at sketches from several months ago, I think they’re not as bad as they were.

[josefk]

thanks both @SwiMatt @YogSothoth i would guess sunspots getting a bit big in a sketch are a function of how our visual attention works, i.e. we look at them the longest so they "loom larger" than they really are???

I also wonder about a driven mount (often) - i think one of these sunspots growing too large east west is just a function of my poor overall plotting but sometimes i stretch star fields east west too and it's because my alt az mount isn't driven so in a a given period of time, even though i continually recenter the view of course, what i actually observe is a field of view like this (    ) rather than like this O. Dunno. Just a thought.

[MZack]

41 minutes ago, josefk said:

thanks both @SwiMatt @YogSothoth i would guess sunspots getting a bit big in a sketch are a function of how our visual attention works, i.e. we look at them the longest so they "loom larger" than they really are???

I also wonder about a driven mount (often) - i think one of these sunspots growing too large east west is just a function of my poor overall plotting but sometimes i stretch star fields east west too and it's because my alt az mount isn't driven so in a a given period of time, even though i continually recenter the view of course, what i actually observe is a field of view like this (    ) rather than like this O. Dunno. Just a thought.

Sketches are excellent. Really like the combination of full disk and detailed selection.  You queried using a driven mount. I use a Skywatcher AZGTix for my 60mm Lunt and Stellamira ED66 and the larger AZEQ5 Pro for my larger 3 and 4 inch refractors. Certainly both help especially at higher powers. Having said that I’ve also used an old manual AZ-4 and not really had issues moving it when needed. Lower powers fine. Higher powers need a bit more patience as the sunspots move through the field. 

[josefk]

2 minutes ago, MZack said:

Lower powers fine. Higher powers need a bit more patience as the sunspots move through the field

thanks @MZack and yes absolutely re. patience at higher magnifications - applies for lunar and for complex open clusters too (it's also why i don't really do any high mag lunar sketching) - I was taking a look at the double cluster again the other night and pondering having a crack at each one close up in one FOV (each) and then both together in a single FOV with more context and from further out - i concluded i will definitely leave them for when (if) i ever do have a drive on my mount... 🤣

[rrb24]

Great sketches 👏 Lovely rendition of the detail.  Well done indeed.  

Roberto

[MZack]

51 minutes ago, josefk said:

thanks @MZack and yes absolutely re. patience at higher magnifications - applies for lunar and for complex open clusters too (it's also why i don't really do any high mag lunar sketching) - I was taking a look at the double cluster again the other night and pondering having a crack at each one close up in one FOV (each) and then both together in a single FOV with more context and from further out - i concluded i will definitely leave them for when (if) i ever do have a drive on my mount... 🤣

Definitely agree you will need a mount for the double cluster. I’ve tried it once and the drive was helpful because of the detail needed. Also for the moon at higher powers as you say. 

[Gonariu]

Sketchs very very beautiful. I too observe sun with a acromatic 80/400 and make a sketch. I use three kinds of pencils for drawing well the solar spots and the sketch require me a lot of time, but for me it is very relaxing.

[josefk]

Thankyou @Gonariu it is very relaxing indeed and civilised too in the warm light of day with a cup of tea to hand 😊

[Gonariu]

The cup of tea is fine with you, you have a nice cool summer. These days I have avoided going out to see the sun, we are back at 35-38 C.