December 20 2021 Observations

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DeepSolar64
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December 20 2021 Observations

Post by DeepSolar64 »

The session time is from 16:50 to 17:30 UTC. Clear skies. The seeing is average to just below average. The temperature is 38F ( 3.3C )


Coronado SolarMax II 60 DS. 16x, 25x and 33x ( Ha )
Today I got a total of thirteen regions of activity in the Ha chromosphere. 6 numbered ones in the southern hemisphere and two numbered ones in the northern hemisphere. The rest are unnumbered systems. AR12906 in the SW is visible only as an elongated plage. AR12907 in the SW is visible as a bright plage with three visible filaments within it. I can see a spot or two also. Just east of it lies AR12908 with a hooked plage. Scattered interacting plage lies between AR12907 and AR12908. AR12909 east just across the CLM shows a scattered plage and a filament at it's northern extremity. I can see a spot there too. A nice long easy filament is seen south of the AR12907-08-09 complex. Another easy double filament is seen SE of AR12909. A cluster of 6 plages as seen in the far SE quadrant. Of these only AR12912 is numbered and is located in the NE corner of the group. It has a single spot visible with a close look. SW of AR12912 lies another plage. South of it lies an easy filament with a plage apparently beneath it. I can see the brightening under the filament without difficulty and is visible even better in the GONG Cerro Tololo image. SW of it lies a second filament. Another plage with some shading marks the SE corner of the group. Another plage marks the SW corner and yet another the NW corner. I am surprised that only one of this group of plages has an official number.

Going to the northern hemisphere I can see an elongated N-S plage in the far NE. Well west of it lies AR12911 with a visible spot west of it's plage. A small filament is NE of it. AR12910 is seen as a plage approaching the NW limb. An easy filament is seen well NE of it. Another filament is seen in the far NNW.

Not much is going on with prominences today. Two small branching ones on the NW limb and I can see a single one on the NE limb. GONG shows a few more insignificant ones.

The mottles are visible across the disc without difficulty wherever plage is absent.



Orion 70mm Solar Telescope. 25x and 50x ( WL )
I can see 12 systems on the WL photosphere today! 9 of these contain spots/pores! 6 of these are numbered systems in the southern hemisphere and two are numbered systems in the northern hemisphere. The rest are unnumbered systems. AR12906 in the SW is seen only as a small spot among faint faculae. AR12907 is two penumbra bearing spots amid a scattering of pores. AR12908 just NW of AR12907 looks like an upside down anchor made up of small spots and pores. AR12909 just across the CLM in the SE quad is a double umbra spot w/penumbra with a dark spot just NE of it. A pore is seen NNE of that one. A single small spot is seen in the SE well SE of AR12909 and well SW of AR12912. SDOHMI continuum images show a tiny pore to it's NW but I cannot see it. SDO HMIc also shows a faint facula NE of that visible spot that contains a couple of pores but I cannot see it at all. Three patches of faculae are seen just off the limb in the far SE. The northernmost of these is AR12912. It has a visible spot showing both umbra and penumbra.

Going now to the northern hemisphere I can see double faculae near the NE limb. I can see a couple of pores in the westernmost facula. Well NW of these I can see a single easy spot marking the position of AR12911. The far NW shows the faculae of AR12910 with a small spot at it's eastern end.

The fine solar granulation of the photosphere is seen without difficulty today.


Carpe Lumen!

James



AstrosphericApp_Seeing_17.00UT_12-20-21.JPG
AstrosphericApp_Seeing_17.00UT_12-20-21.JPG (39.52 KiB) Viewed 462 times
GONGHa+SDOHMIc_12-20-21.JPG
GONGHa+SDOHMIc_12-20-21.JPG (187.59 KiB) Viewed 462 times
WLActiveRegions_SM_12-20-21.JPG
WLActiveRegions_SM_12-20-21.JPG (82.66 KiB) Viewed 462 times


Lunt 8x32 SUNoculars
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Re: December 20 2021 Observations

Post by Tigger »

Hi James,
Thanks for the observation details. Great to see that the Sun is so active at the moment. Its just a shame that here in SE England we have had a blanket of cloud for what seems like a month.

John


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Re: December 20 2021 Observations

Post by Montana »

Now that's a spot marathon, so much to see in both lights :hamster:

Alexandra


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Re: December 20 2021 Observations

Post by DeepSolar64 »

It's a lot to take notes of and a lot to type down. And it isn't even close to solar maximum yet!

James


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Re: December 20 2021 Observations

Post by Ivan »

Thanks James, it was interesting to read. We have clear weather, but very cold and the lowest Sun of the year. Hurray, the day is starting to grow.

Ivan


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Re: December 20 2021 Observations

Post by DeepSolar64 »

Ivan,
Oh yes. We are at the Winter Solstice now. The sun will now slowly start climbing a little higher day by day but unfortunately the coldest part of winter is still to come.

Has the Volga River frozen over yet?

James


P.S. Today I am under clouds. No observations as of yet.


Lunt 8x32 SUNoculars
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Re: December 20 2021 Observations

Post by EGRAY_OBSERVATORY »

Thanks a lot James and we are now - up to AR2915 in the N.E., as of AM 21-12-2021... ??

Terry


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Re: December 20 2021 Observations

Post by eroel »

James:
No Sun at my place.
Thanks for the report.
Eric.


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Re: December 20 2021 Observations

Post by Ivan »

DeepSolar64 wrote: Tue Dec 21, 2021 5:14 pm Ivan,
Oh yes. We are at the Winter Solstice now. The sun will now slowly start climbing a little higher day by day but unfortunately the coldest part of winter is still to come.

Has the Volga River frozen over yet?

James


P.S. Today I am under clouds. No observations as of yet.

The Volga froze in early December, here I made a panorama, it is better to open it in a new window:
viewtopic.php?f=36&t=34044
We have a rather cold week, this morning it will be -29C, so it will be possible to drive along the Volga soon :) The thickness of the ice in the city center is 8 inches, outside the city the ice is much thicker.

Ivan


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Re: December 20 2021 Observations

Post by DeepSolar64 »

Ivan,
Your images and area are very beautiful, Ivan. Get out, it will help you beat the winter depression!

-29C WoW, It has never gotten that cold here. I do remember a few times back in the 1970's and early 1980's us getting below -23C here. That's a thing of the past now. We rarely drop below -12C now. About 8 years ago we had one night that got down to -18C and that's the coldest it had been in years!

Blessings,

James


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Re: December 20 2021 Observations

Post by Ivan »

Thanks James. I try to spend more time with my daughter: walking, rolling, making snowmen:
viewtopic.php?f=36&t=34182

I do not like winter, but it is inevitable with us.
-29C is not the norm for our latitude, usually -7 or so. But severe frosts happen several times during the winter. Although my grandmother says modern winters are very warm :)

Ivan


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Re: December 20 2021 Observations

Post by DeepSolar64 »

Winters certainly here aren't as cold as they used to be and some say global warming is a scam!


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Re: December 20 2021 Observations

Post by marktownley »

Good report thanks James, temperatures here similar to yours, but instead of clear skies have grey damp skies.


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Re: December 20 2021 Observations

Post by DeepSolar64 »

I hope you clear soon Mark so I can see some of your awesome CaK stuff. You poor Brits have way to many clouds.


Lunt 8x32 SUNoculars
Orion 70mm Solar Telescope
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