First Attempt At Solar Imaging

[Planetary Observer]

Something different to my normal astronomy photos, my very first attempt at imaging the Sun. Taken today, Wednesday 26 June 2024 at 09:35hrs. Imaged using an Altair Astro GPCAM 178c USB3 camera in Ha (hydrogen alpha) through a Coronado Double Stack PST (solar telescope). Processed in Autostakkert and Lightroom. Given I only received the scope on Tuesday (25 June) from First Light Optics, I'm quite pleased with this for a first result. 

[Hals]

Double stacking certainly makes a difference. PST not the easiest thing to image with. Very nicely done 👍 

[Ewan]

Way better than my first attempt that's for sure fella, it's got it's own learning curve...slow & steady but you will get there weather permitting of course

[Hughsie]

That is a cracking first image David. The double stack PST looks really good. You have a nice bright center and the limb darkening is even all around the disc which means you have a good one. If I may though I would like to add some observations;

1) Orientation. We are floating around in space so what is up and what is down seems irrelevant, however, if you look at most images they tend to have North top and East to the left. Your image appears flipped around the horizontal which can easily be fixed within the acquisition software and a bit of camera rotation. I use https://gong2.nso.edu/products/tableView/table.php?configFile=configs/hAlpha.cfg to see what is happening on the solar disc and try and match my images to the orientation on Gong.

2) If this was my image I would bring back the contrast and sharpening a little, less is more. But it's your image and if that is what you like then that is all that matters.

3) If you haven't already, sign up to the free SolarChat Forum https://solarchatforum.com/ There are some great resources there for new and experienced solar images and members have been very helpful when I have asked questions. 

Welcome to the bright side!

 

John

[Planetary Observer]

Thanks @Hals and @Ewan, appreciated, and yes, lots to learn.

Thanks @Hughsie, appreciated. I've been a visual observer, mainly planetary and lunar, for some 30 years, and over the past 18 months or so have started doing some planetary and lunar imaging, the processing of which seems a bit different to solar image processing, so thanks for the observations on the sharpening etc, which I do tend to use very sparingly on the planets and Moon.
I will have a look at solarchat, thanks.
As for orientation, I wondered about this, but struggled to find a reference for it, eventually flipping the image in the horizontal after looking at this site:  https://www.spaceweatherlive.com/en/solar-activity/sunspot-regions.html which gave the same orientation as my image, but will have a look at GONG. I put South, or what I hoped was South as up as this what I have become used to, as the planetary sections in the BAA and SPA request submitted images in that orientation. 

Thanks all for the positive comments, and looking forward to learning and doing more with solar - well, when the clouds that are now covering everywhere disappear. 

[Hughsie]

1 minute ago, Planetary Observer said:

As for orientation, I wondered about this, but struggled to find a reference for it, eventually flipping the image in the horizontal after looking at this site:  https://www.spaceweatherlive.com/en/solar-activity/sunspot-regions.html which gave the same orientation as my image, but will have a look at GONG. I put South, or what I hoped was South as up as this what I have become used to, as the planetary sections in the BAA and SPA request submitted images in that orientation. 

That’s a great site too, I use it to identify the AR numbers for the images I am capturing so I can label them correctly in the final picture. Sometimes there may only be a single spot or none at all then the GONG site may help as you can identify any proms on view and adjust the camera orientation accordingly. 
 

The SpaceWeatherLive site also has a good activity archive. I will refer potential solar flare images taken to the solar flare section to see whether I actually did catch a flare in action 🔥 

[Rusted]

I always hesitate to offer advice in case it quenches the burning desire to image the sun.
In my own defense I was offered exactly the same advice early in my own imaging career. It helped me to transform my images.
As our learned member, John "Hughsie" has already noted, your image is remarkable but just a smidgen over-sharpened.
Double stacking should leave a clean solar limb without undue emphasis. Single stacking cannot achieve this.
Suggesting, perhaps, that slight over-processing has exposed the limb unnecessarily.
ImPPG is a well respected free imaging software. Which can produce magical results in gentle hands.
There are tutorials online including YouTube. You will find ImPPG mentioned repeatedly on SolarChat forum!

https://greatattractor.github.io/imppg/

 

 

[inFINNity Deck]

Hi David,

for a first attempt your image is not too bad, and much better than I managed the first time! 🙂

Over time I have written three articles about solar imaging, the third one being the method I still use (the method in the second article was way too complicated). The third article shows how to produce inverted solar images and how to get the sun in your scope's sweet spot (but that is pretty okay in your case).

https://www.dehilster.info/astronomy/solar_imaging_part_3.php

Although I still use the method as explained in the article, I managed in the meanwhile to improve on sharpening, something I explain on my Solar Imaging page: https://www.dehilster.info/astronomy/sun.php

Nicolàs

[Planetary Observer]

Thanks @Hughsie, and I've bookmarked solarchatforum to look at later, as per your original note.

Don't hesitate, @Rusted to offer any advice - I think I'm going to need it!! I will have a look at ImPPG, thanks.

Thanks Nicolàs, @inFINNity Deck, appreciated. I will have a look at your articles. It's taken a bit for me to get used to imaging the planets and the Moon, and learn how to process them properly so that they have real use and value. Now I need to learn solar imaging and observing, so all advice and guidance is gratefully received.

Many thanks to all for the suggestions and guidance so far 😎

[andyrawlins]

On 28/06/2024 at 17:06, inFINNity Deck said:

Hi David,

for a first attempt your image is not too bad, and much better than I managed the first time! 🙂

Over time I have written three articles about solar imaging, the third one being the method I still use (the method in the second article was way too complicated). The third article shows how to produce inverted solar images and how to get the sun in your scope's sweet spot (but that is pretty okay in your case).

https://www.dehilster.info/astronomy/solar_imaging_part_3.php

Although I still use the method as explained in the article, I managed in the meanwhile to improve on sharpening, something I explain on my Solar Imaging page: https://www.dehilster.info/astronomy/sun.php

Nicolàs

Very interesting, thanks Nicolàs.  Re the ADC, I think I'll get one of those but am curious about how focus is achieved.  With these small scopes (I also have a PST) the difficulty is getting the sensor close enough to reach focus.  The ADC would appear to move it significantly further away.  Presumably it moves the focus point with it somehow?

 

Andy

[inFINNity Deck]

Hi Andy,

the focus point will move slightly further away, about 60% of the thickness of the two glass wedges (I believe they are approximately 4mm each, so 8mm together, and thus the focus point will move backwards (i.e. towards the camera) some 3mm. But I think you mean that the minimal camera distance will move further backwards as well due to its physical length. Depending on how you mount the ADC it takes at least 26mm extra space between focus-tube and camera (from which we can subtract those 3mm for the additional focus distance).

Nicolàs

[andyrawlins]

44 minutes ago, inFINNity Deck said:

Hi Andy,

the focus point will move slightly further away, about 60% of the thickness of the two glass wedges (I believe they are approximately 4mm each, so 8mm together, and thus the focus point will move backwards (i.e. towards the camera) some 3mm. But I think you mean that the minimal camera distance will move further backwards as well due to its physical length. Depending on how you mount the ADC it takes at least 26mm extra space between focus-tube and camera (from which we can subtract those 3mm for the additional focus distance).

Nicolàs

Thank you! I also need to get an ASI 120mm mini I think as my 224MC needs a Barlow and then I can't get the whole disk in.  Plus its colour...  Great articles thanks, I have them bookmarked so will refer to them when I have the kit I need

[andyrawlins]

On 07/07/2024 at 20:58, inFINNity Deck said:

Hi Andy,

the focus point will move slightly further away, about 60% of the thickness of the two glass wedges (I believe they are approximately 4mm each, so 8mm together, and thus the focus point will move backwards (i.e. towards the camera) some 3mm. But I think you mean that the minimal camera distance will move further backwards as well due to its physical length. Depending on how you mount the ADC it takes at least 26mm extra space between focus-tube and camera (from which we can subtract those 3mm for the additional focus distance).

Nicolàs

Ah I read this wrong I think - there is currently not enough inwards movement available to get the camera into focus with a PST so this will make it worse.  Very interesting though and I'll bear it in mind should I get a solar scope more suited to imaging   

[Highburymark]

Purely in terms of detail and consistency/lack of sweet spot (I’m not an imager, but an experienced observer), this has to be the best PST image I’ve ever seen. I think it’s remarkable, notwithstanding the technical details pointed out by others. 

[Planetary Observer]

Thanks @Highburymark, appreciated.

[Nigella Bryant]

That's a good start, especially with a PST, not the easiest of solar scopes to image with. Also try ImPPG software for sharpening and curves after stacking. 

[Planetary Observer]

Thanks @Nigella Bryant, appreciated.