June 9 2020 Observations. 5 instrument line-up!!

[DeepSolar64]

Skies are partly cloudy. Temp 78F. Seeing average. Time between 10:00am to 1:00pm EDT ( US ).

SolarMax II 60 DS 16x and 21.5x ( Ha )
AR12765 shows awesome detail. a long filament is seen snaking from the larger spot to south of the AR plage. Nice dark and easy! AR12764 is also visible nearing the northwest limb. I was so excited I immediately went in and retrieved the SMII90!

SolarMax II 90 DS 32x 44.5x 50x 64x 100x ( Ha )
The views through the 90' today are breathtaking. AR12765 shows incredible detail. Detail that I usually see only in images. The filament shows fine detail. It begins at the spot snaking southward dimming just a little before brightening again to form a double-arch. I can actually see wispy detail within the filament itself! I also see what appears to be a thin-dark shading following the plage on the SE upper side of the filament. Almost like the filament branches off. GONG doesn't show this. I wonder if it is a contrast illusion that tricks my eyes thinking something is there. I also see a small spotlike filament just off the long filament's lower east side. GONG shows one on the lower west side. But solar features can come and go fast. I saw this one for certain. The plage itself was really bright and detailed once you got it on band and in the sweet spot. I could see some detail in the spicule field around the plage! I also saw a small dark object for a short while SE of AR12765. I thought it was another sunspot until a white light view said " no ". I then checked my optics for dust and rotated the eyepiece to see if it moved. Nope. It's on the sun. I thought " maybe a tiny dark filament. " GONG shows nothing there though. I take a note of it and check again for it less that 30min later. No sign of it. I have notta clue. AR 12764 is also readily seen approaching the NW limb. I can pick out about three small vague filaments in the northern hemisphere. None easy and none impressive. There is a nice one nearing the SW limb that has been visible over the last several days as a fairly large hedgerow filament. Today it is a bit fainter but has formed a double-arch! Nice! I saw only two prominences on the limb. Small ones. Spicule mottling covers disc.

Lunt 8x32 SUNoculars ( WL )
The large sunspot in AR12765 is easily visible as a dark dot on the south-central disk!

Orion 70mm Solar Telescope 25x and 62.5x ( WL )
I can see one larger sunspot with a well developed penumbra. 5 nearby pores can be seen. AR 12765. Granulation visible.

Celestron NexStar102GT w/Altair wedge 50x and 125x ( WL )
Detail can be faintly seen in the penumbra surrounding the larger spot. 5 pores seen. The faint faculae to AR12765 can be seen with considerable difficulty, mainly because it changes the granulation field around it.

James

[RodAstro]

Hi James
Nice observations you had a good day.
Very cloudy here no visual for me only on the monitor I just left my scope tracking the AR and every time I got a little hole I had a look and snapped some video about three seconds max before cloud came over again.
Looks like we are going to be rained out again for the next two days here in the UK so I will be keeping an eye on your posts.

Cheers Rod

[DeepSolar64]

Rod,
It's not looking good here for Wednesday either. Rain and thunderstorms are in the forecast. Still, I have been blessed with more than a week of being able to view the sun every day. Still, if I can find a hole in the sky I'm in!

That is one of the greatest things about or SolarChat community here. Somebody is gonna have clear skies and let others who don't in on it. We see through each other's eyes and images. Then there is SDO and GONG. We are never sunblind!

Carpe Lumen

James

[EGRAY_OBSERVATORY]

Yes indeed in S.E.England there is a whole-lot more of the wet-stuff coming-up from the south this time and not looking good til at least after this weekend either.

Oh dear !!

Terry

[Montana]

I do love your descriptions but it is very much like describing chocolate, it is lovely to hear but wouldn't I dearly love to have a look (taste) myself



Alexandra

[eroel]

James:
Every time I read your visual reports, they bring me back when I was around 12 years old and had a small Wollensack 8X Little scope that I used to see the Sun, using an electric welder´s facemask filter in front of the little scope that was mounted on a Meccano polar mount that I made.
As I grew, I kept making scopes and all was just visual observing, photography was out of the question because it was expensive and troublesome.
We amateurs used to interchange our visual reports, experiences and findings
Today I just take a look to see if everything in the optical train is O.K. and that is my only solar visual observation.
Thanks.
Eric.

[DeepSolar64]

I feel for you English/UK observers. Every time I do an observation you come to mind. It looks like I am clouded out today though. A front is moving in.

Eric,
I started simple too. Back in 1978 with a 50mm Focal refractor that came with one 12.5mm eyepiece which gave 50x. It had one of those little eyepiece-mounted solar filters which gave a greenish color to the sun. It did give good views though. Later I found out that some people had issues with those type of filters with them cracking under the heat and causing blindness. I never had an issue with mine though I later continued using the safer projection method. I never have liked projection as well. In the twenty-teens I finally found Baader film which finally gave the image I was looking for. And then came Ha!

You should try getting back to your roots and doing visual once in a while. There is in my opinion nothing like seeing the dynamic sun with one's own eyes. I do intend getting into imaging more as time goes on. But more to back my observational work. And I can see the satisfaction of doing it right. Your work is very good!

James

[yltansg]

Hi James,

Thanks for another interesting report. You must have enjoyed yourself thoroughly switching between viewing station.

Alfred

[Carbon60]

Lovely detailed report and nice comparison between scopes, James.

Stu.

[DeepSolar64]

Using all five instruments was really fun. I just need a CaK system with a camera and computer so I can see/image it. To be " three light " capable would be great!

[marios i.]

Well done!

[DeepSolar64]

Thanks Marios!

[arnedanielsen]

Enjoyed reading your excellent report, James!

Best regards,
Arne

[DeepSolar64]

Thanks Arne!