Solar Activity 01 Mar

[brianb]

The Sun was shining from a mostly cloudy sky this morning. I set up, got the full disk CaK shot & a quick look in white light which showed AR1051 still hanging on as a single spot, more or less unchanged from the previous day.

2010 Mar 01, 1002 UT, Coronado PST CaK, prime focus (f/10), DMK41

Note the two small bright plages just south west of the disk centre. At this stage, no spots visible in white light or in the low resolution CaK whole disk shot.

At this stage the cloud closed in & stayed that way for several hours. When it cleared, the transparency was much better though there was still some interference from drifting shower clouds. It was immediately obvious that the new plages had erupted into bopolar active areas, with leading and trailing spots visible in white light - the western spot of the more northerly group had already grown to the same size as the hanger-on in AR1051.

New spot group:

Ha, 1448 UT, Solarscope 60, x4 Imagemate (f/32), DMK21

WL, 1514 UT, 80mm, x3 & x2 barlows (f/36), DMK21

CaK, 1459 UT, 60mm, x3 barlow (f/25), DMK21

AR1051:

Ha, 1447 UT

WL, 1520 UT

CaK, 1458 UT

Here's an overview of the disk & prom activity in Ha:

1444 UT, SOlarscope 60, Atik x0.5 focal reducer (f/5), DMK41

Close up of the prominences

1453 UT, Solarscope 60, x2 barlow (f/16), DMK21

1452 UT, Solarscope 60, x2 barlow (f/16), DMK21

Transparency (am) poor through high cloud with drifting low cloud, (pm) excellent but with drifting shower cloud. Seeing variable, quite good at times but mostly moderate. Temp (am) 4C, (pm) 8C. Wind (am) SW force 3-4, (pm) NW force 2-3.

[samtheeagle]

Great pictures Brian. Everytime I see pictures like yours I get an itch to buy a solar scope of some sort... Maybe one day, when funds allow.

In the mean time, I shall just have to be pleased that the sun was shining brightly today, and marvel at your pics

[brianb]

Everytime I see pictures like yours I get an itch to buy a solar scope of some sort...

... and I keep getting this itch to upgrade. It's a slippery slope, and by no means cheap, but very rewarding.

The "white light" solar film filter is by no means expensive & will work with any existing scope. Get one by all means, now the Sun is getting more active there are spots to see (almost) every day.

[samtheeagle]

Yeah, I've got one of those I made for my newt... Was a notoriously dull year last year, and I never saw anything other than a white disk :S Maybe this year eh?

[Jamie]

Superb set of images Brian...

Keep em coming......

[MidnightSun]

Great shots there....I think the solar filter just got another nudge towards the top of "the list".......