May 7 2023 White Light Observations.

[DeepSolar64]

My session time was from 15:45 until 16:30 UTC. Intermittent. The sky is mostly cloudy with thin mid level clouds. Most of them are thin enough to see through but despite the very good seeing, limit my magnification to 62.5x and under due to dimming the image. I could have pushed the little scope to 100x and beyond if the skies would have been clear. The temperature is a warm 76F ( 24.4C ). From my father's place near Lowndesville S.C.

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Orion 70mm Solar Telescope. 25x, 50x and 62.5x. ( WLC )
Despite the limits imposed upon me by varying thicknesses of clouds I could see detail very well on the photosphere today. I could see six spot/pore regions on the sun. Three in the northern hemisphere, all labeled and three in the southern hemisphere with two of three labeled.

AR13297 in the NE really looked nice. The lead spot shows a three sectioned umbra with the central section being the most prominent. The southernmost one looks like a paler branch off it's larger northern neighbor. The penumbra surrounding them is unmistakingly mottled. A mass of penumbriated pores, for lack of a better description, lies just off the SW side of the large leading spot. More spots/pores of similar appearance follow the lead spot. The " caboose " spot shows a clear dark umbra amid a small penumbra. A patch of faculae near the NE limb is without spot or pore. AR13296 is at/on the CLM and was seen as two spots ( dipole ) amid a small number of pores. Both of these spots have double umbrae sharing a penumbra. AR13293 just SW of AR13296 was seen as a dipole of two split spots showing irregular structure. The leading pair have scattered pores NE of them. A spotless patch of faculae was seen very near the NW limb.

I saw nothing in the SW quadrant apart from the granulation of the photosphere. The SE quadrant shows AR13294 approaching the CLM just below the equator. I saw it as a structured spot with a nick in the NE side of it's umbra. AR13299 was seen to the east of AR13294 as a fairly small spot showing structure. A large pore was seen to it's NE and a smaller one to it's SE. Well SSE of AR13299 lies a large pore at the inward edge of a patch of faculae.

The fine granulation is very apparent today. Evidence of good seeing.

Carpe Noctem!

James

P.S. Yep, No table or chair. I am kneeling on the ground looking through the eyepiece.

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[DeepSolar64]

Nice report James, 3297 really the busy spot still....

The 70 just looks so portable all alone in the yard like that, Light weight I'll bet.


G3 storms possible tonight, Last G4 here was a real sky streamer but clouds are around so we'll see

I've had a G1 alert so far. It's cloudy and raining outside so I have no chance to see it even if it was a G5. :-(

The Orion70 is very lightweight. The OTA I doubt weighs 3 pounds. The mount/tripod is very light too. A one hand carry grab-and-go! The AT72EDII is at least twice the weight. The SMII60 DS probably three times the weight! Only the little Lunt solar binos are more portable.

[DeepSolar64]

Thanks Aaron. Today has been almost totally overcast for me and it's about worktime. I just managed to use the little Lunt solar binos.

James

[DeepSolar64]

Thanks Aaron. Today has been almost totally overcast for me and it's about worktime. I just managed to use the little Lunt solar binos.

James

Full on rain here today and no solar storm last night and was cloud all night anyways.

My daughter Amanda and I scrambled for the last four solar storms and got lucky 1 out of 4, that one last month on the 24th we drove 110mi to clear skies and waited 2 hours for clouds further north to clear.

Have a good day at work Indeed...

I think I got a Kp5 G1 alert on SWL. Did you and Amanda see any aurorae?

I hope for a good workday. They vary. Thanks.

James

[eroel]

James:
Thanks for the info , also a nice setup.
Regards.
Eric.

[DeepSolar64]

It may have been visible from N.C. If clouds would have not been in the way if this was the last set of storms. About a month or so ago there were reports of aurora low in the north

[MAURITS]

Thanks for the report James.

[DeepSolar64]

Thanks for the report James.

You are welcome Maurits. I have annoying clouds today but I am still at the scopes.