Solar Images

There are many Hydrogen-alpha images on ths page showing surface detail and prominences. But for a very quick visit here are a couple of particular interest. A Coronal Mass Ejection (CME) on 2nd March 2015, and a very large prominence on 23rd April 2015. I had a bit of fun with that one!

Astronomy doesn't only have to take place at night! After all, the nearest star to us is our own Sun. But a safe Solar Filter is an absolute must. See the description of the Baader Solar Film filter. 2000 is a good year for Sunspots! The faint circles on the sunspot closeups in the right hand group are simply shadows of dust particles, probably on the CCD chip.

On 26th. June a quick look with the 80WA showed numerous sunspots, including an attractive triangle of large spots, so out with the C8. Unfortunately it clouded over before I got the final group, but I imaged it the following morning (further onto the disc). Incidentally, any of the three large spots would swallow the Earth with plenty of room to spare!

After an interminable period of cloud and rain, the weather relented on 16th. July, and I obtained these images. A very messy Sun!

The third and fourth weeks of September 2000 saw the largest Sun Spot group for many years (Active Region 9169). The weather was variable, with some cloudy days, but I was able to image it on three seperate occasions. The first on September 21st. 2000 and last on the 27th. were taken hurriedly in the morning, and the telescope was not fully temperature stabilised on both occasions. But the middle set was taken at the Loughton Astronomical Society Star Party at Thetford, Norfolk, on September 23rd. and the 'scope was nicely settled down. Although there was a breeze, the atmosphere was quite stable, and crisp images were possible. The group was at its best then, and was breaking up by the 27th.

September 21st., Boldon, Tyne & Wear, 1030 UST

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September 23rd., Thetford, Norfolk, 1245 UST

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September 27th., Boldon, Tyne & Wear, 0845 UST

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Here is an impressive group captured on 30th. March 2001, using my Olympus 2100UZ Digital Camera afocal with 40 mm eyepiece on my Meade LX90. Spots at maximum optical zoom (x10). Thin cloud arrived while I was photographing the full disc.

June 2001 saw my trip to Zambia for the Total Eclipse on 21st. Full details and travelogue on my Solar Eclipse page. But here are a couple of tasters. This is the view at totality.

During my trip a fellow camper (not of our party) allowed me to use his Coronado Solarscope, and I was able to take a photograph through it, showing prominences and surface markings.

During mid August 2002 although solar maximum was supposedly past, a huge spot, the largest on record for many years, traversed the Sun. 3 days in the life, and the immensity of the spot can be gauged from the scale overlay of Jupiter in the middle image. Unfortunately seeing conditions were poor on all three days with a mixture of broken thin cloud and upper atmosphere turbulence. Solar discs with the Olympus 2100 afocal with 40 mm eyepiece, close ups Vesta Pro at prime focus of LX90

On the 11th. September 2002 - the anniversary of the tragic events in New York - a large group again rotated into view. Almost certainly a development of the above. With my newly acquired Infrared blocking filter, I consider the detail to be much improved. Or it might just have been better seeing! This activity may also have triggered the Aurora of 7th.September - here on the Olympus page. Disc with Olympus 2100 afocal with 40 mm eyepiece, close up mosaic of two frames with Vesta Pro at prime focus of LX90

Annular Eclipse, 2003

Dawn on 31st. May featured an Annular Eclipse of the Sun, partial throughout most of the British Isles, but with a full annulus visible from sites in the North of Scotland. British weather being what it is, I decided not to travel North, but simply take the 5 mile trip to the North Sea coast and watch it from a local headland (Souter Point Lighthouse, South Shields), along with three other members of the South Shields Astronomical Society.

Although haze on the horizon unfortunately masked the maximum obstruction which would have shown a pair of 'horns' rising from the sea, ten minutes after maximum the sun became visible through the haze, and we were rewarded with a view of the entire remainder of the eclipse.

The haze cut down the sun's light to a level which was safe to observe without filters for most of the eclipse, even through the LX90, and superb views of the deep red eclipsed sun were seen. I took several photographs, the best shown here. The closeups were afocal through the telescope with a 40 mm eyepiece, the long shot direct, zoomed to 100 mm.

The uncoloured image is a single frame from an AVI (DivX codec) showing the final phase of the eclipse, filtered with Baader Solar film. This was taken using the Vesta Pro Webcam with a 135 mm lens. Click on the image to view the (32 KB) AVI. Depending on the configuration of your browser you may need to download the AVI first.

Digital Magic!

When I was in Africa in 2001 for the Solar Eclipse, I was able to take a Hydrogen Alpha image of the Sun through a Coronado telescope belonging to a fellow camper. See Eureka Page. It showed prominences, although I was rather disappointed by the lack of surface detail. But now, on applying the techniques suggested by James Weightman in the July 2004 Sky and Telescope magazine, all is revealed!

There is some vignetting from the lens system, barely noticeable in the original brighter image, but the majority of the frame is acceptable, and shows much more of the surface structure than was at first apparent. For anyone who has read the article, the Green channel was the one to use in this case.

Here is one from 29th. April 2005. Taken with three different methods. The full white light disc was with my Olympus 2100UZ digital camera, afocally with a 40 mm eyepiece on the Mirage 8 SCT. The Hydrogen Alpha with the Artemis camera at prime focus of the Helios 1, and the spot close up with a Toucam webcam at prime focus of the Mirage. For the white light images, a full aperture Baader Solar film filter was used.

Full Size

In June 2005 I bought new a Solarview50 Hydrogen Alpha telescope to replace my (secondhand) Helios 1. I've been rather remiss in posting images, but here is a selection from late 2005. Firstly a montage from 13th. August 2005.

Here is a superb prominence from 25th. September 2005. I just happened to take a look in the late afternoon, and was extremely lucky to capture this. This and all following images were taken using my Artemis285 CCD camera, some of the prominence and spot details with a 2x Barlow as well.

Although the Sun at this time is in a period of minimum activity, nevertheless on 12th. November 2005 there were some nice prominences visible, and the one to the lower left of this image was associated with an active Sunspot area which appeared over the next few days. For once I was favoured with a run of fine days, and was able to capture a succession of images showing the progress of the spot across the Sun's disc.

Here are the Disc and Spot on 15th. November 2005

The Spot on 16th. November - I didn't have time to get the Disc.

17th. November

18th. November

It gives one pause for thought when realising that the major spot would easily swallow the Earth, and the distance between the major and minor spot is 2/3 the distance between the Earth and the Moon.

19th. November

The clouds returned, so no more of that sequence. But here is an interesting prominence from 12th. December 2005.

Although the Sun is passing through a sunspot minimum, during which other activity is also relatively quiet, there are still occasional flurries. I was fortunate in capturing this interesting prominence on 15th. February 2006. Artemis camera and Solarview 50. Disc at prime focus, prominence detail with 2x Barlow.

March 29th 2006 saw a Total Solar Eclipse, with the path crossing through Turkey. I was fortunate in being able to travel to Side on the Turkish coast, and experienced a good eclipse, only slightly marred by some high thin cloud at totality. I'll be setting up a seperate page once all the photos have been exhaustively processed, but here is Totality to be getting on with.

This image appears in the July 2006 Sky at Night Magazine cover disc 'Hotshots' section, and in the July-September 2006 issue of the SPA magazine.

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This small animation shows the diamond ring just before and just after totality.

Here's an interesting prominence from 23rd. April 2006.

Artemis camera and Solarview 50. Disc at prime focus, prominence detail with 2x Barlow.

In early November 2006 a quite large sunspot appeared, shortly after the Solar magnetic pole reversal signalling the start of the run up to Solar maximum in a few years' time. It was quite active with considerable disturbance to the local magnetic fields. Image stack of 30 subframes with Artemis 285 barlowed x2 on Solarscope 50. North is up, East left i.e. binocular view. Colour added in Photoshop

An interesting Sunspot crossed in early February 2007, and I was able to capture it on 2nd. Artemis 285 and Solarscope 50.

I had some fine weather towards the end of April 2007, although occasionally plagued by clouds driving in from the North Sea on an Easterly breeze. The first sunspot for some time rotated into view, and a brief window on 29th. April allowed me to capture this image, using my Artemis 285 Camera and Solarscope 50, Barlowed 2x.

The following day (April 30th) the weather was clearer again, with this result. Again the Art285 and Solarscope50 Barlowed 2x.

With the Solar minimum dragging on, no worthwhile H-alpha images have been obtained for some time. But during a few days' stay at Kielder in April 2008, although the latter part of the stay was predominantly cloudy, Wednesday (9th) was a reasonably sunny day with many breaks in the clouds. And the upper atmosphere was cold enough to produce ice crystals in the upper atmosphere and grant us a Solar Halo. When a cloud covered the Sun, there was enough contrast to photograph the phenomenon directly. As for the Lunar Halo photographed a few weeks earlier, the circle is always 44 degrees in diameter. Larger image

In the extended Solar minimum there were very few sunspots appearing, and none I had an opportunity to photograph, but there was still some activity, and on 1st May 2008 I happened upon one of the rare flurries showing some attractive prominences. But no sunspots! Artemis 285 and Solarscope 50, prominences Barlowed 2x.

August 1st 2008 saw a Total Solar Eclipse, with the path passing over the far North Atlantic, Siberia and Northern China.

I was sorely tempted to travel to Novosibirsk in Siberia to view the eclipse, although totality was relatively short at 2 minutes 23 seconds, because that day was my 65th birthday! But in the end I decided to celebrate my birthday at home. I did miss a good totality - although it was cloudy for much of the day in Novosibirsk, it was completely clear for the eclipse.

But a partial eclipse was visible in the UK, and I obtained these images. The upper one with my Artemis 285 CCD camera through my Solarview50 Hydrogen -Alpha telescope, the other two with my Panasonic TZ5 camera. As you can see it was cloudy at times, indeed at one point cloudy enough for the eclipse to be safely viewed without filters and a direct photo taken. The third photo was through a telescope with Baader solar filter film.

Timed as follows:

H-Alpha 0921 UT

Direct view 0931 UT

Baader filter 1004 UT

The 7th May 2009 was beautifully clear, albeit windy, and when observing the Sun through my specially filtered solar scope I saw that there were some faint prominences. So took this image showing the prominences and surface structure. The dark spot towards top right just might be a baby Sunspot.

Not many around these days - the Sun is taking an awful long time to get cracking on the next cycle. There is even talk of it entering a quiescent period similar to the Maunder minimum between 1645 and 1715 which coincided with the 'Little Ice Age' when Ice Fairs were held on the frozen River Thames.

Solarscope50, Artemis 285. Moon filter used for the disc shots.

Disc - inner, 0.01 second frames, outer 0.05 second frames (better to show the faint prominences).

Prominence close up, 0.1 second frames with 2x Barlow

Processed, co-registered and coloured in Photoshop.

After a long wait a genuine Sunspot! Small but perfectly formed ;-) June 1st 2009, also accompanied by a couple of nice prominences - maybe the Sun is waking up at last! all imaged with my Solarscope 50 and Artemis 285, close ups with 2x Barlow.

On 6th July 2009, not only was it a sunny day, albeit with lots of puffy clouds scudding across the sky, but there was a decent spot visible! Designated AR 1024. Artemis 285 with Solarscope 50 (cropped when imaging) and 2x Barlow. Stack of 15 frames, captured during a break in the clouds.

During a trip to Les Granges in 2009 I took my Solarview 50 and QHY5 guide camera - it has a good size chip for use with that telescope. Although only 8-bit, I was able to capture this image on 23rd September.

After an extended Solar minimum the Sun eventually became more active. A substantial prominence was visible for a few days in mid March 2010. I was clouded for a couple of days, but was able to image it on 19th. Artemis 285 camera

Disc at prime focus, prominence close up with 2x Barlow, all on my Solarview 50 .

Some promising swirls below the filament. Nice to see some real action after a long wait!

More activity at the beginning of April 2010, this being captured on April 1st. A couple of active areas and an interesting prominence. Artemis 285 with Solarscope 50. Disc at prime focus, prominence with 2x2 barlow

At the end of June 2010, finally our long awaited extended holiday began, and after some interesting stops in America we arrived in French Polynesia for the July 11th Total Solar Eclipse. Although staying on Tahiti and the adjoining Moorea, to view the eclipse we flew to Tatakoto Atoll which was situated very close to the centre line.

This was the diamond ring at second contact, with some Baily's beads evident along with prominences. All these Solar images were taken using my Canon 350D camera and Canon 400 mm f5.6 L lens, and ISO 100. This single frame 1/1000 second. Full size.

We witnessed 4 1/2 minutes of totality, but as always the time flew past. Nevertheless I was able to view the event while taking a range of photos. This is a composite of several frames between 1/1000 and 1 second. Despite the thin haze, I also succeeded in capturing Earthshine, and several stars, the brightest being magnitude 3.5 Delta Geminorum (above the disc).

This image appeared in the December 2010 issue of Sky at Night magazine

Larger image.

All too soon came third contact with again a nice diamond ring and prominences. We were very fortunate with the weather - clouds before and after, indeed totally obscured 10 minutes later. Phew!

Full size.

As well as taking close ups I managed a wide angle shot with my Panasonic TZ5 on a lightweight tripod. The Sun was washed out, but my wife fortunately took a photo with her Canon Ixus 40 at a shorter exposure nicely showing the 'black dot', so this is again a composite. Note Mercury lower right of the Sun. This and the above two pictures featured in the August BBC 'Sky at Night' programme with Sir Patrick Moore, and this photo appeared in the September 2010 issue of Astronomy Now.

Larger image.

14th September 2010 was a clear sunny day albeit with occasional cloud. And an interesting solar view worthy of imaging. Several prominences and a very active area with a small sunspot. Of particular interest was the large patchy filament, the nearby long filament and the chain of smaller patches around the upper section.

All images taken using the Solarview 50 Hydrogen-alpha telescope with the Artemis 285 camera. Disc at prime focus, close ups with 2x Barlow.

After a prolonged solar minimum with only occasional 'burps' it seems as though the Sun is at last waking up. February 16th 2011 saw a nice display of sunspots although not much in the way of prominences.

Artemis 285 with Solarview 50, close ups with 2X Barlow.

AR 1158

AR 1161

March 21st 2011 saw a lot of activity on the Sun with some magnificent prominences and a large active region containing a small spot. The main prominence group measured approximately 172600 miles (276000 Km) across and 34000 miles (54400 Km) high. Puts the 7960 mile (12740 Km) diameter Earth into perspective!

Single frames chosen as best from a selection, Artemis 285 with solarscope SV50. Prominence with 2x Barlow.

This image featured in The Sky at Night BBC TV programme, August 2012

On 12th April 2011 the Sun displayed a number of interesting features. A couple of beautiful prominences and some active areas and filaments.

Unfortunately I omitted to insert a 'Moon' filter for the prime focus disc image and the chip bloomed slightly, hence the rather bright area at the top of the image. I would have re taken the photo, but by the time I found out what had happened, the clouds arrived!

This image featured in The Sky at Night BBC TV programme, August 2012

Disc at prime focus, prominences with 2x Barlow. Artemis 285 on Solarscope SV50. All single 'best' frames hand picked from several.

The 28th September 2011 was a beautiful day - we were having an 'Indian Summer'. And Sunspot group AR 11302 was nicely positioned in the centre of the Sun. Not a huge spot, but the area of activity was considerable. There had been Auroral activity two nights before - possibly this spot was the progenitor. Artemis 285 on Solarscope 50 (cropped from the full frame.)

This image featured in The Sky at Night BBC TV programme, August 2012

And a close up of the spot, Artemis 285 on Solarscope50 with 3x Barlow.

Full Size

This image appeared in the 'Hotshots' section of the February 2012 Sky at Night magazine

Much of January and early February 2012 were cursed with cloudy nights although a persistent ridge of High Pressure brought cold but bright days in early February. So no opportunity for deep sky imaging. Unfortunately I missed a couple of Aurora shows in late January. But the Sun on 8th February although lacking in active regions likely to produce aurorae showed some beautiful prominences and filaments. Artemis 285 on Solarscope 50. Disc at prime focus, closeups with 2x Barlow.

Several attractive prominences and some active areas with small spots on 2nd September 2012. Artemis 285 with Solarscope 50

Sunspot AR2192 rotated into view towards the end of October 2014 and proved to be one of the largest for some time. This image was taken late afternoon of 23rd during a short break in the clouds, and although quite low in the sky the image is not too bad. Artemis 285 with 'Moon' filter on Solarscope 50, single 0.02 second exposure.

On 2nd March 2015 I was doing some tests with the forthcoming partial eclipse in mind, and spotted this substantial detached prominence. Rather faint, hence the stretched background. But interesting! It would seem that I caught the start of a major Coronal Mass Ejection. I took my image around 1430 UT, the 'official' image was an hour later. The link referred to in that image is not active on my site, but this YouTube offering shows the progress of the CME very well, although I do not know how long it will be available. It opens in a new window - YouTube does not like frames!

Artemis 285 on Solarview50. Combination of 20 x 0.01 second exposures, processed in K3CCDTools and Photoshop.

On 20th March 2015 there was a Total Solar eclipse in the North Atlantic. Unfortunately the line of totality did not pass over the UK, but from my Northumberland location the Sun was 92% eclipsed - a substantial partial eclipse. But as usual the fickle UK weather did not play fair! Maximum eclipse occurred shortly after 10.30 am. The previous day had been beautifully clear all morning, alas this was not the case on eclipse day with substantial cloud cover. Nevertheless I was all set with both white light and Hydrogen-alpha filters set up in my Observatory. First contact was completely obscured, but eventually the clouds started to thin and not only was it safe to view direct, I was able to take unfiltered photographs with my Panasonic TZ5 compact camera at full zoom, this was one of the better ones.

Larger Size

As time passed, the clouds thinned further and eventually I was able to start taking images with the filtered cameras. These 'white light' images were taken using Baader Solar film and my Canon 700D on my Meade 127 refractor (950 mm focal length). Maximum eclipse and nearing the end of the eclipse. There is an MP4 video here showing the sequence of all the useable frames.

I also had my Artemis 285 camera fitted to my Solarview50 Hydrogen-alpha telescope, again these are maximum and near the end. There were some interesting prominences and filaments. Also an MP4 video here.

The Sun has had a relatively quiet cycle this time round, but on 23rd. April 2015 it sported a huge prominence which I was able to capture. Artemis 285 on Solarview50 Hydrogen-alpha telescope.

Interestingly when I came to process the images I noticed I had another folder labelled April 23rd. BUT it was from 2006, when again there was an enormous prominence!! Quite a coincidence!! It can be found here.

A flight of fancy! I see a strange caterpillar like creature crawling around the rim of the Sun to reach its offspring which is looking eagerly towards its parent ;-)

A few days later (27th April) the prominence had rotated onto the face of the Sun, with only a faint tail of the filament showing as a prominence - only just visible in this image, I was fighting clouds!

In early March 2016 we went on a trip to Indonesia - an organised tour which visited several places of interest including a *very* hot climb part way up Anak Krakatau! Hopefully I will get round to doing a travelogue. But the primary purpose of the holiday was to view the Solar Eclipse on 9th March. We were located in the courtyard of the Sultan's Palace, Ternate, a good open location with plenty of atmosphere - locals etc.

At first contact the sky was beautifully clear, but there was a worrying patch of high cloud to the East. Unfortunately it moved across the Sun after about 30 minutes, and remained until 10 minutes after totality. It wasn't so thick as to block the Sun out altogether, but the outer corona was completely obscured. So my planned exposure sequence was out the window, and I just had to play seat of the pants as the cloud thickness varied, using live view on my Canon 700D.

Despite taking some longer exposures (around 1.5 seconds), the cloud ruined them, and my best effort was this one. 0.3 seconds, 400L Canon lens externally stopped to f7, ISO 100. Just before third contact, a nice view of the large prominence and the start of Baily's beads at the top of the image. Cropped from the full frame. Full Size.

This image appeared in the Eclipse feature in May 2016 Astronomy Now magazine

One of the group (the leader, Prof. Patricia Reiff) had a fish eye lens on a camera and took this image during totality. Venus is clearly visible, but it is also apparent just how much cloud was obscuring the corona.

As I mention above, we climbed part of the way up Anak Krakatau - 'The Child of Krakatoa' which lies in the Sunda Strait midway between Java and Sumatra. You can see the path in this photo, it took us up around 400 feet of the 1000 foot volcano. Larger image

It was extremely hot, not just from the sun but from the volcanic heat underfoot. I just made it - I was suffering from a tummy bug and became quickly dehydrated despite carrying water with me. Larger image

Because of my physical state I went down before the rest of the party, but after drinking more water and resting for a while was rewarded by the visit of a large (around 6 feet long) monitor lizard. Larger image

I've put this Krakatau section here for now because on 22nd December 2018 a large portion of the volcano slid into the sea, causing a tsunami which hit the coasts of Java and Sumatra without warning, causing the deaths of over 400 people with a further 40,000 displaced. This radar picture shows the huge amount lost - around 2/3rds of the mass and the height reduced from 340 metres to 110 metres. The remaining area includes the path we climbed and the forest below, all of which were inundated by the tsunami. So the monitor will have perished, and probably any other life on the rest of the Island which is still erupting ferociously as I write this (29th December).

These satellite photographs show the devastating change to the island. The main cone completely collapsed into the sea, and the rest of the island became a desert of mud and rock.

Transit of Mercury

On 9th May 2016 there was a (relatively) rare transit of Mercury across the face of the Sun. Visible in its entirety from the UK. I set up two imaging systems on my Observatory mount, for white light my Canon 700D on Meade 127 refractor with Baader Solar film, for Hydrogen-alpha light my Artemis 285 on Solarscope50. Both set up with computer control to take an image every 5 minutes for the whole transit which lasted for just over 7 1/2 hours .

Some problems unfortunately - exposure times for the Canon which were set too long at first - some unnoticed hazy cloud cleared after the initial set up, so early frames were over exposed. Then towards the end as the Sun lowered into horizon haze, the exposure times had to be increased again. More fortunate with the H-a, although the camera slipped at one point, rotating through 90 degrees, unnoticed for a while. Also unnoticed was a failure of the power supply to the Canon so 40 minutes were lost!

Seeing was poor, so many frames were a bit fuzzy. But here is first contact with both cameras. Full size white light here.

As Mercury progressed, seeing continued to vary, but I have selected frames which are as good as they get. Full size white light here.

Unfortunately at the time of last contact, tree leaves and branches got in the way, and of course the low altitude did not help the seeing. But here is the result anyway! A couple of H-a images - the narrow wave band at the red end of the spectrum survives the thick atmosphere better. No full size for the white light, reddened and blurred by the low altitude (9.5 degrees).

I hope to produce a video of the full passage. probably in H-alpha, more interesting with the surface features. But correcting the rotation when the camera slipped will take a bit of doing, never mind processing and aligning each image. Watch this space!

The GPCAM2 has also proved effective for Solar imaging using my Solarview50 Hydrogen-alpha solar telescope. Unfortunately as can be seen in the upper image (from 29th May) the chip is not quite big enough to encompass the entire disc. I purchased an inexpensive focal reducer, but although it reduced the image successfully, there was a disappointing loss of definition. But the barlowed image of course is ok.

Fortunately the capture rate of the GPCAM2 is such that sufficient frames to stack for an acceptable image can be captured in less than a minute. So rotation effects are negligible and although the Sun is always changing, not that quickly at this resolution!

So the bottom image (from 5th June) is actually a mosaic of two images. A little bit of care in processing and blending the two images in Photoshop, and I for one cannot see the join! There were some small prominences, but not of any consequence, so I didn't take images at the longer shutter speeds required to show them up.

The colour GPCAM2 IMX224 planetary camera from Altair Astro works very well at a competitive price, and I also tried it on the Sun. Does a pretty good job as you can see above, but I was tempted by the sister monochrome camera the GPCAM2 ARO130 to get the extra resolution instead of only using one pixel out of every four on my Solarview50 H-alpha scope. The camera arrived on 22nd June 2016 and I was able to give it a run on the morning of 23rd before I had to go out for the day. Very easy to use with the nice Altair Capture program. The chip is not quite big enough to encompass the whole disc on the 400 mm focal length Solarview50, but with a little care mosaics do the job. Not much activity at the moment, but who knows what lies round the corner!

I posted the above GPCAM2 Solar images on the UKAI group Solar section, and came across highly detailed images obtained using a Daystar Quark 'eyepiece' Hydrogen-alpha filter. This filter fits on a telescope like a standard eyepiece, so can benefit by the resolution of a refractor larger than most small Ha dedicated telescopes like my Solarview50 without breaking the Bank!

The built in Barlow lens substantially increase the focal length of the system, so with the small chip of the GPCAM2 only small areas of the Sun can be captured at any one time, but the potential for fine detail is there given good seeing conditions.

So I bought one from Altair Astro complete with 2" energy rejection filter and interference eliminator to remove 'Newton's Rings'. And fitted to my TMB105 refractor it works very well. Still learning and finding the correct settings, but here are a couple of images from 8th June 2016 when the Sun decided to show itself briefly after days of cloud. Early evening so a bit low in the sky and only moderate seeing, but shows what the system is capable of. Need a good active sunspot to really show it off!

Both images are of course stacks of 100 or more monochrome sub frames selected from several hundred using Registax6. Further processed and coloured in Photoshop.



Unfortunately the drive unit for my Observatory mount developed a fault on 12th July and was returned to Gemini for repair. As it was 12 years old I decided to purchase a new upgraded unit and keep the repaired one as a stand by . With holidays (both mine and the manufacturer) intervening I did not receive the replacements until 11th August. Not much clear sky or sunshine during the lost time, although a substantial spot group was missed. But finally an opportunity arose on the morning of 15th August and I was able to take advantage of it around 8.30 am before having to go out for most of the day. Two good sunspot areas and a couple of worthwhile prominences.



Finally something to justify buying the Quark! Still need to spend time finding the best settings for surface and prominences, but getting there. Altair GPCAM2 mono on Quark and TMB 105 refractor. Even that early a fair bit of turbulence - always a balance between thermal activity and thickness of atmosphere. So I used 100 frames from 1000 for each image - seems to have worked!



Spot 12579 followed the earlier groups and seemed to be developing, but as can be seen from these images taken on 23rd and 24th August 2016 it started to decay quite quickly. Unfortunately poor weather/lack of opportunity prevented further images and checking on the Kanzelhöhe Observatory web site a few days later showed the spots had disappeared altogether leaving only a slightly disturbed area..

Altair GPCAM2 mono on Quark and TMB 105 refractor.

29th August 2016 was a beautiful day with plenty of sunshine, and a marginally spotty sun, so worth a visit. Nice prominence as well, and although I did a close up, not satisfactory so not posted. Camera for all images Altair GPCAM2 Mono.

The full disc was taken using my Solarview50, and because the GPCAM chip is not quite large enough to encompass the whole disc, it is a mosaic.

Close ups all with the Quark Chromosphere on my TMB105. Seeing poor alas, so most images are 50 subs from 1000! One of these days I'll have a steady sky to get really fine detail.

Still playing with colours - I'll eventually settle on a reasonable balance then set it up as a Photoshop action to use on all my images.

I'm in a bit of a quandary! I don't use my big 10" scope much during the summer - most twilight targets are quite large and so I use a refractor. Relatively light and easy to handle. But now that the dark nights are with us again it's back to my 10" RC. And that takes more than a bit of effort to set on my Observatory mount. My little Solarview 50, which I have loved for several years, sits easily on a dovetail clamp on the side of the mount - hardly needs any rebalancing and the weight of the GPCam is negligible. So I can still quickly have a peek at the Sun and if interesting take some images without further ado.

I bought my Quark Chromo this Summer (2016) after seeing some of the marvellous closeups on the UKAI group. And yes it adds another dimension with the higher resolution of my TMB105. But that is not so easy for a quick peek! I haven't yet tried it on a side dovetail clamp- there is a sister clamp on the other side of the mount, and I might be able to make up a suitable balance weight, but still a bit of a hassle.

So when I was at Kelling Heath at the end of September I bought a 2.5x Powermate to use for closeups with my Solarview. Obviously it won't improve the natural resolution of the telescope itself, but it does improve the final resolution due to the increased pixel coverage. The upper image is a mosaic from 5th October.

This image is a 2.5x reduction of the mosaic to give the same size as I would get without the Powermate, overlaid on an earlier image taken without the Powermate. And it is clear from the comparison that there is a marked improvement.

I'll persevere with the Quark, but may decide to sell it.

Well, a few days later I dug out a couple of old balance weights, used when my main 'scope was much lighter (8" Mak-Cass). Unruly disrespectful friends called them 'Toilet Rolls' ! Locked together and fitted to a dovetail they nicely balance the TMB with Quark in DEC. And with the main balance weights at the limit of their travel, all is in balance. So without dismantling any of my main scope and camera setup I can use the Quark. And it takes no more time to fit the bits than it takes the Quark to reach operating temperature. Back in business!

Postscript. Unfortunately I found that this arrangement was prone to bouncing when disturbed. So with the magnification of the built in Barlow, focusing was a major problem. With little happening on the Sun, I didn't use the Quark again and sold it in early 2017. Pity, but an interesting experience.

The 4th of April 2017 saw an interesting spot complex on the Sun, although not much in the way of prominences. This was taken using the Solarview50 and GPCAM2. The full disc is a mosaic, the spot taken using a 2.5x Powermate Barlow lens.

21st August 2017 saw a Solar Eclipse pass across central USA. Although totality was relatively short, around 2 min 45 secs maximum duration near the town of Carbondale Illinois, it was dubbed 'The Great American Eclipse' and was probably seen by more people than ever before.

I was fortunate in joining a group organised by Omega Holidays which decided to watch from a site 'Menan Buttes' near Idaho Falls. 2 mins 18 secs, but chosen for its good weather prospects. And did not disappoint! Wall to wall cloudless sky and at the altitude of around 5000 ft. above sea level a crisp clear view. Second contact produced a beautiful diamond ring with Baily's Beads and prominences nicely visible.

Canon 700D with 400 mm Canon L lens externally stopped to f 7.1 (see this description) unfiltered at 1/2000 second. Full size.

We were accompanied by Pete Lawrence, Dr. Paul Abel, and the impressionist Jon Culshaw who introduced excellent presentations by the other two and was extremely entertaining!

For totality I used a range of exposures from 1/400 to 2 seconds, and combined them in Photoshop to produce this image - a pretty close representation of what was visible through small binoculars. WARNING - it is safe to use unfiltered binoculars, but only during full totality. Even the diamond ring can cause serious eye damage when viewed through optical aids such as binoculars or a telescope. Larger image - approximately half size.

There are several stars visible - star identification in this larger image.

This image was Picture of the Month in the October 2017 issue and also appeared in the January 2024 issue of Astronomy Now

Here is fourth contact diamond ring, again clearly showing Baily's Beads and prominences. Full size.

There were several small sunspots visible. Taken with a Solar filter of course (Baader film). Larger image

The sky was beautifully clear for the whole eclipse, so here is an animated GIF of the entire sequence. Click on the thumbnail for a medium size GIF (755KB) or here for a larger one (4.48MB)

Earthshine, often seen when the Moon is recently new, is caused by light from an illuminated Earth lighting the dark part of the Moon as viewed from Earth - the equivalent of Moonlight. It was just visible in my 2 second exposure, so I have patched it into the composite here. Larger size.

It is very unusual for a particular location to benefit from totality within a few years. But in April 2024 Carbondale Illinois is even closer to the centreline than on this occasion, and will experience over 4 minutes of totality - lucky them! I may go to that one, but will be approaching 81 years of age - maybe too decrepit or even gone by then! Time will tell....

Now August 2019 and no Solar images for two years. Why?? Well, the Sun has been unusually quiet for the last two years, with only an occasional very small sunspot. It is experiencing a deep Solar minimum. But hopefully will spring back to life soon. Watch this space!

On 11th November 2019 there was a transit of Mercury across the face of the Sun. due to start at 1235, but the Sun would set well before the end of the transit. Nevertheless I hoped to catch as much as possible. Unfortunately the weather was not kind here in Northumberland, particularly at the start of this unusual event, but I managed to capture it just after the start. Mercury is the tiny black dot at around 8.30-o-clock right at the edge of the Sun's disc. An hour or so later the skies cleared nicely for a short while and I was able to get a better full disc image with Mercury about a 1/4 of the way across, just below the centreline. Then the rain arrived, and I never got another clear image. But better than nothing, since there isn't another transit until November 2032, and that will have already started before Sunrise. Full size start here, later here.

Taken using an Altair GPCAM3 128M on Solarview50 H-alpha telescope. I bought this camera to replace the GPCAM2 which didn't quite cover the disc of the Sun, also the new camera has smaller pixels, so hopefully better definition - no Barlow needed for prominences and sunspots. I'd hope to get a whole sequence until the Sun was almost set, but not to be.

A tiny hint of a prominence at 9-0-clock on the later image, but that's all - the Sun is in a very quiet mood at the moment!

Towards the end of January 2021 I had an accident with my Solarview50 Ha telescope which detached the etalon thereby needing repair in the Isle of Man. They had an awful time fixing it - the etalon plates just would not go back together. Until they tried replacement spacers - most unusual for them to be damaged, and then the magic happened.

I got the 'scope back on 8th June, just in time for the partial eclipse on 10th, (guaranteeing full cloud cover!), but no decent clear spells. 9th June a bit better, and some definite action so I decided to go for an image with my GPCAM3. And when I stretched things, I found what might be a coronal mass ejection, certainly clouds of gas thrown a huge distance from Sunspot AR2831 - the furthest section is probably at least 200,000 miles out. Lucky strike! NASA Solar Observatory image here. As you can see that was captured at 12.08 UT, my image was at 12.16 UT. Slight haze so only the brightest parts captured. Full size

On 10th June 2021 there was a partial Solar Eclipse in the UK (part of an Annular Eclipse over the Arctic). Like many others in the UK I was clouded out for much of the time. But managed a bit of Hydrogen-Alpha as well as white light. so here are a couple of the former, one combined with a longer exposure to capture prominences. Solarview 50 with GPCAM3 178M. The upper image, shortly after first contact, was timed at 0910 UT, larger image here.

The lower at 1117 UT, larger image here. Nothing particular in the few white light images, so not presented.

It was cloudy for the maximum eclipse, but also like others I was able to use a consumer camera - TZ70 on full 30x optical zoom to get a shot or two through the clouds. Cropped from the original.

Alas my beloved Solarview 50 is back in the Isle of Man while Helmut wrestles with getting it set up at its best after it was damaged several months ago. But now that the Sun has started to wake up after the long minimum this show on 17th December 2021 was too good to miss. So on with a white light filter on my TS65 Quad and an avi (used 30 frames of 74) with my GPCAM3 mono. It was just after noon, so the Sun was almost at its highest, but still very low at less than 12 degrees altitude. And in thin haze. But worth a go and a bit of tweaking in software got this result. Full Size.

On 25th October 2022 there was a partial Solar Eclipse visible over the whole UK. Maximum eclipse for me was at 10:56 BST (9:56 UT) with the Sun 30% eclipsed. But there was a lot of cloud about. With brief breaks I was able to line up and focus my (still somewhat ailing) Solarview 50 with GPCAM3 camera, but it was not until 11:35 BST that I was able to get a steady sequence of images, by which time the eclipse was well advanced. Still a bit hazy but better than nothing. Fully clouded shortly afterwards!

Larger image

After seemingly endless cloudy skies, the weather relented for a short time on May 9th 2023 and I was able to try my ailing Solarview50 again with GPCAM3 camera. It's so close to being ok, but to get this image it was at the absolute maximum of tuning travel, and only just captured the prominences. Also I feel that the surface details are not as contrasty as before the damage. That might be partly due to the slightly hazy conditions. But a lot better than nothing!

Full Size

June 5th 2023 was a nicely clear day, and with some interesting sunspot groups was worth attention with my ailing Solarview50. The prominences and spots showed up well, although the spots look more like they do in a white light image, and as can be seen by comparison with the professional image taken around the same time, some of the surface features, notably filaments and flaring, are not being picked up at all. Solarscope have promised to have another look at my telescope later this year - they are extremely busy at the moment. Fingers crossed, two previous attempts have not fully resolved the tuning problem.

Full size colour image

30th August 2023 clouded over later, but was beautifully crisp and clear around noon and I was able to capture this image of the Sun with my ailing but not useless Solarview 50. It's so close to being the way it should be, but this image was at the absolute limit of travel of the adjustments. Almost ok with quite good detail around the sunspots, but because the etalon is not fully 'tuned' for the surface details, the brightness varies considerably across the disc. I remember when all was working correctly there was a visible darkening right across the disc as it came into tune. Hopefully it will be restored to full operation this Autumn when it is again to be returned to Solarscope in the Isle of Man. Altair GPCAM3 Mono on Solarview 50. 30 frames from 110 each for disc and prominences, processed and stacked in Registax, finished and coloured in Photoshop.

Full size

Now more mobile in a walking boot following the rupture of my left Achilles tendon, and after weeks of cloud a nice clear day on 24th November. Despite a stiff breeze and low solar altitude the air was quite stable so a reasonable image although my Solarview50 is not working to its best ability - still trying to get it fully fixed. Stacked 34 out of 106 frames, Altair GPCAM3 mono on Solarview50. But lots of activity - hopefully the active areas will give an aurora over the next couple of nights when it's forecast to stay clear, although unfortunately a near full Moon will take the edge off.

Full size

In June 2005 I bought new a Solarview50 Hydrogen Alpha telescope to replace my (secondhand) Helios 1. I've been rather remiss in posting images, but here is a selection from late 2005. Firstly a montage from 13th. August 2005.
Here is a superb prominence from 25th. September 2005. I just happened to take a look in the late afternoon, and was extremely lucky to capture this. This and all following images were taken using my Artemis285 CCD camera, some of the prominence and spot details with a 2x Barlow as well.
Although the Sun at this time is in a period of minimum activity, nevertheless on 12th. November 2005 there were some nice prominences visible, and the one to the lower left of this image was associated with an active Sunspot area which appeared over the next few days. For once I was favoured with a run of fine days, and was able to capture a succession of images showing the progress of the spot across the Sun's disc.
Here are the Disc and Spot on 15th. November 2005
The Spot on 16th. November - I didn't have time to get the Disc.
17th. November
18th. November It gives one pause for thought when realising that the major spot would easily swallow the Earth, and the distance between the major and minor spot is 2/3 the distance between the Earth and the Moon.
19th. November
The clouds returned, so no more of that sequence. But here is an interesting prominence from 12th. December 2005.

I had some fine weather towards the end of April 2007, although occasionally plagued by clouds driving in from the North Sea on an Easterly breeze. The first sunspot for some time rotated into view, and a brief window on 29th. April allowed me to capture this image, using my Artemis 285 Camera and Solarscope 50, Barlowed 2x.
The following day (April 30th) the weather was clearer again, with this result. Again the Art285 and Solarscope50 Barlowed 2x.

At the end of June 2010, finally our long awaited extended holiday began, and after some interesting stops in America we arrived in French Polynesia for the July 11th Total Solar Eclipse. Although staying on Tahiti and the adjoining Moorea, to view the eclipse we flew to Tatakoto Atoll which was situated very close to the centre line. This was the diamond ring at second contact, with some Baily's beads evident along with prominences. All these Solar images were taken using my Canon 350D camera and Canon 400 mm f5.6 L lens, and ISO 100. This single frame 1/1000 second. Full size.
We witnessed 4 1/2 minutes of totality, but as always the time flew past. Nevertheless I was able to view the event while taking a range of photos. This is a composite of several frames between 1/1000 and 1 second. Despite the thin haze, I also succeeded in capturing Earthshine, and several stars, the brightest being magnitude 3.5 Delta Geminorum (above the disc). This image appeared in the December 2010 issue of Sky at Night magazine Larger image.
All too soon came third contact with again a nice diamond ring and prominences. We were very fortunate with the weather - clouds before and after, indeed totally obscured 10 minutes later. Phew! Full size.
As well as taking close ups I managed a wide angle shot with my Panasonic TZ5 on a lightweight tripod. The Sun was washed out, but my wife fortunately took a photo with her Canon Ixus 40 at a shorter exposure nicely showing the 'black dot', so this is again a composite. Note Mercury lower right of the Sun. This and the above two pictures featured in the August BBC 'Sky at Night' programme with Sir Patrick Moore, and this photo appeared in the September 2010 issue of Astronomy Now. Larger image.

In early March 2016 we went on a trip to Indonesia - an organised tour which visited several places of interest including a very hot climb part way up Anak Krakatau! Hopefully I will get round to doing a travelogue. But the primary purpose of the holiday was to view the Solar Eclipse on 9th March. We were located in the courtyard of the Sultan's Palace, Ternate, a good open location with plenty of atmosphere - locals etc. At first contact the sky was beautifully clear, but there was a worrying patch of high cloud to the East. Unfortunately it moved across the Sun after about 30 minutes, and remained until 10 minutes after totality. It wasn't so thick as to block the Sun out altogether, but the outer corona was completely obscured. So my planned exposure sequence was out the window, and I just had to play seat of the pants as the cloud thickness varied, using live view on my Canon 700D. Despite taking some longer exposures (around 1.5 seconds), the cloud ruined them, and my best effort was this one. 0.3 seconds, 400L Canon lens externally stopped to f7, ISO 100. Just before third contact, a nice view of the large prominence and the start of Baily's beads at the top of the image. Cropped from the full frame. Full Size. This image appeared in the Eclipse feature in May 2016 Astronomy Now magazine
One of the group (the leader, Prof. Patricia Reiff) had a fish eye lens on a camera and took this image during totality. Venus is clearly visible, but it is also apparent just how much cloud was obscuring the corona.
As I mention above, we climbed part of the way up Anak Krakatau - 'The Child of Krakatoa' which lies in the Sunda Strait midway between Java and Sumatra. You can see the path in this photo, it took us up around 400 feet of the 1000 foot volcano. Larger image
It was extremely hot, not just from the sun but from the volcanic heat underfoot. I just made it - I was suffering from a tummy bug and became quickly dehydrated despite carrying water with me. Larger image
Because of my physical state I went down before the rest of the party, but after drinking more water and resting for a while was rewarded by the visit of a large (around 6 feet long) monitor lizard. Larger image
I've put this Krakatau section here for now because on 22nd December 2018 a large portion of the volcano slid into the sea, causing a tsunami which hit the coasts of Java and Sumatra without warning, causing the deaths of over 400 people with a further 40,000 displaced. This radar picture shows the huge amount lost - around 2/3rds of the mass and the height reduced from 340 metres to 110 metres. The remaining area includes the path we climbed and the forest below, all of which were inundated by the tsunami. So the monitor will have perished, and probably any other life on the rest of the Island which is still erupting ferociously as I write this (29th December).
These satellite photographs show the devastating change to the island. The main cone completely collapsed into the sea, and the rest of the island became a desert of mud and rock.

21st August 2017 saw a Solar Eclipse pass across central USA. Although totality was relatively short, around 2 min 45 secs maximum duration near the town of Carbondale Illinois, it was dubbed 'The Great American Eclipse' and was probably seen by more people than ever before. I was fortunate in joining a group organised by Omega Holidays which decided to watch from a site 'Menan Buttes' near Idaho Falls. 2 mins 18 secs, but chosen for its good weather prospects. And did not disappoint! Wall to wall cloudless sky and at the altitude of around 5000 ft. above sea level a crisp clear view. Second contact produced a beautiful diamond ring with Baily's Beads and prominences nicely visible. Canon 700D with 400 mm Canon L lens externally stopped to f 7.1 (see this description) unfiltered at 1/2000 second. Full size. We were accompanied by Pete Lawrence, Dr. Paul Abel, and the impressionist Jon Culshaw who introduced excellent presentations by the other two and was extremely entertaining!
For totality I used a range of exposures from 1/400 to 2 seconds, and combined them in Photoshop to produce this image - a pretty close representation of what was visible through small binoculars. WARNING - it is safe to use unfiltered binoculars, but only during full totality. Even the diamond ring can cause serious eye damage when viewed through optical aids such as binoculars or a telescope. Larger image - approximately half size. There are several stars visible - star identification in this larger image. This image was Picture of the Month in the October 2017 issue and also appeared in the January 2024 issue of Astronomy Now
Here is fourth contact diamond ring, again clearly showing Baily's Beads and prominences. Full size.
There were several small sunspots visible. Taken with a Solar filter of course (Baader film). Larger image
The sky was beautifully clear for the whole eclipse, so here is an animated GIF of the entire sequence. Click on the thumbnail for a medium size GIF (755KB) or here for a larger one (4.48MB)
Earthshine, often seen when the Moon is recently new, is caused by light from an illuminated Earth lighting the dark part of the Moon as viewed from Earth - the equivalent of Moonlight. It was just visible in my 2 second exposure, so I have patched it into the composite here. Larger size. It is very unusual for a particular location to benefit from totality within a few years. But in April 2024 Carbondale Illinois is even closer to the centreline than on this occasion, and will experience over 4 minutes of totality - lucky them! I may go to that one, but will be approaching 81 years of age - maybe too decrepit or even gone by then! Time will tell....