Sunspot group 1076 - in finder!!

[Merlin66]

The sunspot group 1076 is a large dark spot surrounded by penumba following a small group of three spots.

Easily visible in White light filter with a 50mm finder!

If you haven't seen a sunspot yet...get a Baader Solar filter on your scope and have a look. Hopefully there are more to come.

[samtheeagle]

I just got a white light filter for my C102 from the AstroBoot super cheap, so hopefully I'll be able to have a goosey at the sunspot when I get home from work

[Merlin66]

An other five minutes observing brings out even more detail.

Besides the main spot the group breaks down to about 7 or eight smaller spots and there's a neat little one between the main spot and the group. Some of the larger spots in the original group of three are showing penumbra and distorted granulation in the area.

Don't have a camera readily available for this scope ( should have planned better!) but it certainly would make a very nice image.

[samtheeagle]

Well as soon as I get home I'll see what I can see! Looking forward to it, I've had a homemade white light filter for my other scope for ages now, and still haven't had the clear sky / sunspot / being home to view it combo come together yet!

Fingers crossed.

[Merlin66]

Just had another look with the C102.

The single sunspot AR1073 is also visible!!

Maps of Active Solar Regions | raben.com

Didn't see AR 1075 ? - Need to go back to the eyepiece again......

Ken

[GuillermoBarrancos]

Yup! Just been looking at the group the last 2 hours!

Really amazing at the moment and a must see for people with white light filters (like me )

Just tried to image it with the webcam with no filters. And did some sketching hehe.

[brianb]

I'm jealous - supposedly "sunny" here but the sun is shining through a thick layer of high cloud, giving a ground glass effect which makes even the limb hard to detect.

[GuillermoBarrancos]

Just posted my first processed image in the imaging section of this sunspot group.

[samtheeagle]

I finally popped my sunspot cherry today! I used my 150PL in the end, as the filter was all ready to go, and the new one for the C102 needs some work to ensure a secure attachment!

Saw some great detail at times, the 10mm plossl seemed to be the best EP to use, the 6mm ortho just couldn't handle the conditions. The seeing came and went, but I got a few great views here and there. I could see that the main spot was in fact two spots very close together, as well as a lot of speckles around the areas of the spots, I'm sure that has a rather more technical term! I tried a few different coloured filters too, the green seemed to help bring out the detail of the spots for me...

It was great to finally get some solar observing done, another astronomical first for me!

EDIT - Having just seen the great pic by Dave here: http://stargazerslounge.com/imaging-solar/105620-sunspot-group-03-06-10-a.html I was wondering if it's possible to see faculae? I thought that I saw some very subtle lighter areas, but figured it was just my eyes playing tricks or the seeing. But looking at the pic that's exactly where I saw it!

[brianb]

as well as a lot of speckles around the areas of the spots, I'm sure that has a rather more technical term!

Probably granulation (actually visible over the whole solar surface all the time, except for the bits in the darkest part of the sunspots & very close to the limb).

I was wondering if it's possible to see faculae? I thought that I saw some very subtle lighter areas, but figured it was just my eyes playing tricks or the seeing. But looking at the pic that's exactly where I saw it!

The image you refer to is a very good illustration of what a patch of faculae looks like at the eyepiece - sometimes they're even fainter & therefore harder to see. It's usual to see faculae (if present) near the limb; where there are "white light" faculae there is also a bright CaK plage, but the converse is not always true.