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Sun, Sun, Sun!

Robthevegetable

By Robthevegetable
in Observing - Solar

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Robthevegetable

Robthevegetable

Posted
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Hi all,

This'll probably be answered with one answer, but I was wondering how often the 'face' of the Sun changes? Am I likely to see a difference in days? Weeks? Months? Or does it vary?

I'm aware we're (hopefully) coming into a period of high activity (and hence some interesting viewing) and just wanted to know roughly how long Sunspots on the surface will take to grow, shrink or move out of view?

PS. I have the relevant filters for viewing, so no fretting please!

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brianb

brianb

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Changes on a timescale of hours are common when the sun is active. Small spots can appear and disappear again during the same day. Larger spots can live for weeks or months but are continually changing their appearance to some extent.

Rotation makes long-lived spots appear to move across the face of the sun, taking about a fortnight to cross the whole disk - the sun not being a solid body, it rotates at different speeds depending on the latitude, but an average of 27.27 days is about right.

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Robthevegetable

Robthevegetable

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That really surprises me! I know this seems an odd thing to say (especially of the Sun) but you don't think something of that magnitude could be THAT active on the surface, changing over hours rather than days and weeks!

Thanks for the info, it's good to know that it can change day-to-day, should make for some interesting viewing... Just need these chuffin' clouds to clear now!

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Merlin66

Merlin66

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Day to day changes in white light features are well worthwhile recording!

There's more activity on the Sun that ANY other astronomical object.

It changes minute to minute, hour to hour, day to day - there's always something new!

Majic!

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Ad Astra

Ad Astra

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While it is true that solar surface features can change on a scale of minutes or hours, the star itself also rotates on its axis.

Sol rotates on its axis once every 25 days or so, as I remember. You can track sunspots across the disk and time the rotation -- that's what Galileo did!

Dan

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RayGood

RayGood

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You will see loads on the sun, even in white light. Sunspots change from day to day. Some days there will be none though.

If you have good quality optics (that includes the eyepiece) observing in white light (good quality filters like Baader for e.g.) you will be able to watch the surface granulation change patterns in just a few minutes. Surface granulation on the sun is one of my best things I like to observe. I have even seen over a matter of a few minutes one large granule expand in a ring like shape erasing other granules around it like a rubber to pencil. Only then to see it fade off and be replaced by the normal surface granulation. Fantastic! Where stars are pinpoints in the night sky and we only have spectroscopy, photometry, etc. to learn about them (indirect methods that is, unless your talking super novas and light echoes), you want to know more about what happens to these stars. And it ain't no slow process either! It is rapid and fast, ever changing! You want lots of quick variety. Look no more. Just at the sun. There you will find past paced action drama! Even better if you have a dedicated H-alpha solar filter, the larger the apeture, the better your resolution.

Have fun learning! Thats what its all about!

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