The Dutch Observatory

When I setup to observe the sun this morning I saw this huge prominence lifting off.  I could not setup fast enough to start imaging the fast eruption.  Twenty minutes later it was getting pretty dim and noisy  for my camera and scope, so I stopped.  I have problems with the transfer of my YouTube caccount to Google, so could  not post it there.  Ended up making an animated gif and put it in my blog.  Click here to link to the animation.

Another day with variable clouds and an opportunity to image the sun between some clouds.  Today the sun was quiet and showed one named Active Region.

Today is the beginning of a new Carington Rotation Nr. 2138 which ends on July 8th.  The clouds decided today to give me some time to image.   Only one active Region today: AR1765, a few prominences around the disk and a nice filament streching accross the southern part of the sun.  So far, it has been quiet today, but I am glad I could see the sun at all!!!

It has been a while since I took some images of the Sun.  The weather has been pretty bad.  But this morning I was able to get enough data for a few images.  Here a full size image of the sun with some nice prominences and filaments as well as a closeup of AR 1765.  The sun has been pretty quiet since the M-class flare af a few days ago.

Sometimes when I meet a person who shows a real interest in astronomy and especially the Sun, I offer them to get a personal Solar Imaging session in which they capture the image, and process it all by themselves using my equipment.   Last Friday a youngster by the name of Christian Johnson came over with his mother, two twin brothers and his teacher to image the Sun. He handled the scope (focussing and positioning the sun in the center of the chip) Selected the camera settings to his liking (gamma, gain, and exposure time based on the histogram) and make the capture run. He than processed the image in Registax and Photoshop himself with a very nice result for a first time solar image!!!

A very calm day, ready for a few closeups with the C11.  With 5 active regions, the sun did not pick up activity and the large filament streching over 200,000 miles is still there.  I made closeups of 1755 and 1756.  Very nice stuctured and nice granulation, but not large compared to some of the spots in the last weeks.  Anyway an interesting sun today.

Another nice day.  Today a large filament extending for more than 200,000 miles accross the North Western quadrant.  In addition a few nice small proms, active regions and sunspots.

Another day with 7 active regions.  Today 3 C class flares and 2 B class.  It looks like the sun os taking as breather.  Both groups 54, 56 and 53, 55 look great.  Today a full disk image and a closeup of the two double groups as well as a nice Prom at the NE limb.

A nice Sun today with 7 active regions.  In the last 24 hours a total of 7 C class flares of which 3 came from 1756.  Also a few nice prominences, processed normally and inverted.

Went in the morning to scout an outreach site for the end of September, so got a late start today. So far today 5 low C class flares and one M5.0 flare in 1745.  A full disk image today and a close up of 1754, and 56.