Plasma on the Edge - 28th February

There is no double limb or spicule layer as this closeup shows when using a double stack system, with the filaments and surface taking on really quite a 3D appearance.  The sun is hinting at a furriness to the surface too.  Taken with a quark and PST etalon in series with the PGR Blackfly GigE IMX249 camera running at 4.4m focal length.

AR12506 Ha 28th February

A close up of the active region that rapidly developed over the past couple of days.  Seeing didn't really support the aperture or the 4.4m focal length used, but it was nice just to see the sun, albeit briefly!  This scope and etalon has real potential when the conditions allow!

Western Strip In Ha - 18th February

This strip of the solar equatorial band in the western hemisphere was looking remarkably busy in this double stack view taken with the skywatcher ED80 with the PGR Blackfly GigE IMX249 camera. 

AR12502 & AR12503 in CaK - 18th February

While there is nothing particularly special or interesting in terms of the features that can be seen in these two active regions, what I do like about this picture is that it hints at some of the details that can be seen at 100mm aperture when the seeing is good, especially when viewed at full size.  The seeing wasn't perfect here, but for a cold february morning it was pretty good!  Taken with the 100mm Tal100R refractor at 3300mm focal length, the homebrew CaK filter and the PGR Blackfly GigE IMX249 camera.

AR12501 CaK 18th February

A close up of this little active region taken in CaK light at 3300mm focal length with the 100mm Tal100R refractor, homebrew CaK filter and PGR Blackfly GigE IMX249 camera.  It is possible to make out the whorl of the filament that surrounds this active region in the plage surrounding the penumbra.  The seeing wasn't supporting full resolution from this setup as I know it is possible to easily resolve penumbral fibrils at 100mm aperture, and while this image hints it doesn't quite fully resolve them.

CaK Filament 18th February

The ghostly wisp of a filament can just be seen in this image taken in CaK light using the Tal100R at 3300mm focal length with the homebrew CaK filter and the PGR Blackfly GigE IMX249 camera.

CaK Full Disk 18th February

At first glance there is not much happening in this full disk in terms of activity, but when you look closer near the south eastern limb it is possible to see the dark thin line of a filament.  When I saw this in Ha light it was very dark, and this along with excellent transparency seems to be one of the key things to seeing them in CaK wavelengths.  Taken with the 40mm scope at 700mm focal length with the PGR Blackfly GigE IMX249 camera and homebrew CaK filter.

AR12501 Ha 18th February

This sunspot has a lovely whorl of a filament seemingly rotating around it in this image taken with the 100mm Tal100R refractor taken at 3200mm focal length with the Daystar Quark and PST etalon along with the PGR Blackfly GigE IMX249 camera.

Fine Filaments - 18th February

I was really pleased with all the fine detail that was visible in this filament, it looked unusually dark on the surface of the sun.  Taken with the 100mm Tal100R refractor, Daystar Quark and PST etalon, and the PGR Blackfly GigE IMX249 camera, all running at a focal length of about 3200mm.

AR12502 Ha 18th February

Again, another small active region here, but I love all the swirls of plasma that can be seen, just shows how dynamic our sun is, even when not much appears to be happening!  Taken with the 100mm Tal100R refractor at 3200mm focal length with the Daystar Quark stacked with a PST etalon, and using the PGR Blackfly GigE IMX249 camera.

AR12503 Ha 18th February

This was a very small and quiet active region, but using the 100mm Tal100R refractor with the Daystar Quark and a PST etalon in series at a focal length of around 3200mm showed up some quite intricate details.  Camera was the PGR Blackfly GigE IMX249.

Ha Full Disk 18th February

The seeing was some of the best I have ever seen to take this image, very little in the way of sharpening needed in post processing.  First thing in the morning both the seeing and transparency were superb.  Taken with the TS40 at 700mm focal length with the PGR Blackfly IMX249 GigE Camera.

AR12497 CaK 15th February

I was pleased to have been able to get a shot of this turbulent active region before it passed over the solar limb.  Taken with the homebrew CaK filter and the 60mm scope at 1900mm focal length with the PGR Blackfly GigE IMX249 camera.

AR12501 in CaK Light 15th February

Just when the sun looked as if it would be presenting a blank disk to us, another small spot rotated around the limb.  Taken with the 60mm scope at 1900mm focal length with the PGR Blackfly GigE IMX249 camera. 

CaK Full Disk 15th February

The band of plage that currently spans the northern hemisphere on the sun was really easy to see in this CaK image taken with the 40mm scope at 700mm focal length with the PGR Blackfly GigE IMX249 camera.

AR12497 Single Stack Double Stack Comparison - 15th February

With the double stacked version at the top and the single stack beneath, these 2 pictures taken with ED80 and daystar quark shows the difference in the features visible.  Both have their own merits, and to me highlight different features.  I for one will certainly be shooting in both modes!

Filaments and Filaproms 15th February

These shots taken with the skywatcher ED80 and double stacked quark show just how dramatic fialments, filaproms and prominences can be when the image is inverted; gives a real sense of relief.  As the sun heads towards solar minimum active regions will become less common and these small filaments are likely to be one of the few features that can be seen on our star.  Fortunately this technique maximises their visual impact!

AR12497 Surging! 15th February

It was getting later in the afternoon, and the haze thicker and the sun ever closer to the horizon, but, as usual I couldn't resist cranking up the aperture with the 100mm Tal and the double stacked Quark,  I ended capturing this image of a small surge coming from this departing active region.  Taken with the PGR Blackfly GigE IMX249 camera.

Ha Full Disk 15th February

All the action seems to be centred in the northern solar hemisphere at the moment as this shot with the triple stack at 40mm and 700mm fl shows.  There's still a bit of work to do on the tmax tuners on this scope to tighten things up, but it shows initial promise as a workable unit.  The effect of uneven illumination is much more noticeable when imaging than when using it visually, and as a result this will make a great piece of equipment for outreach.

CaK Full Disk 14th February

Seems like it's been a while since I got some images in CaK light.  I think the truth is the clear skies have been so few and far between that when it was good I was playing around with the triple stack in Ha wavelengths.  Anyway, nice to see the sun down in the blue end of the spectrum again!  Taken with the 40mm scope at 700mm focal length with the PGR Blackfly GigE IMX249 camera and the home brew CaK filter.

Ha Triple Stacked Full Disk 14th February

Took pretty much all day for the clouds to budge on Valentines day, but by late afternoon it was clear enough to grab some frames.  There was still a lot of high cirrus hindering transparency but this was better than no view at all.  Taken with the 40mm triple stacked Ha scope at 700mm focal length with the PGR Blackfly GigE IMX249 camera.

M1.8 Solar Flare - 13th February

The first day of a week off work today, and was hoping for some solar.  The weather forecast said cloud but el-sol came out in the afternoon.  Imagine my surprise after I had set up and took the first look through the eyepiece to see a bright M1.8 solar flare in AR12497.  The clouds held off just long enough for me to capture this image of the event.  Taken with the triple stacked 40mm Coronado scope at 700mm focal length with the PGR Blackfly GigE IMX249 camera.  Hoping this will be the start of a great weeks solar observing!

*Edit* - really pleased!  This photo went front page on the NASA Spaceweather website on Valentines day, check it out!  http://spaceweather.com/archive.php?view=1&day=14&month=02&year=2016

Ha Full Disk 7th February

Conditions were far from great this Sunday morning, with bands of showers in an unstable air stream ahead of Storm Imogen meaning I didn't have long to get an image in.  I think the focus was a little soft when I took this shot taken with the triple stacked 40mm scope at 700mm focal length with PGR Blackfly IMX249 GigE camera.  

The sun was having a bit of a crackle on a few of the active regions. Curiously it almost looks to me like the band of plage that marks the solar jet streams crosses from one hemisphere to another. The jet stream is more active in the southern hemisphere on the west of disk, but on the eastern quadrant the jet stream looks more active in the north. Just to the west of mid disk there is a bright patch of place on the solar equator that when you look at the filaments and other features would apparently look like the jet stream switches hemisphere here. An illusion or a real feature? who knows...