The Dutch Observatory

I ran some tests with different focal lengths of the SolarMax 40.  Below I show 4 different configurations.  A full disk image at f/6 at 240mm focal length using the 0.5x focal reducer screwed into the camera’s nosepiece.  The next is an image projected directly onto the chip, i.e. in prime focus f/10. Next two images magnified by barlows.  The first one a Meade 140 2x barlow cell screwed into the eye piece of the camera at 710mm fl, the last one, a Klee 3x barlow with the camera mounted onto the barlow at 1300mm focal length.   The Sun was pretty active and even though AR2297 was only 320 millionth, the Sun produced 16 C-class and 1 M-class flare.

After a few days of clouds and a little rain, a few hours of broken skies with so-so seeing until the clouds are back again.  The sun has been real active with 4 M and 17 C-class flares in the last 48 hours.  The Sun spots in AR2297 have increased from 19 to 32 since yesterday and the area now occupies 280 millionth today.  Its nice to see this guy is really active
Today a full disk image and two closer views of AR2297 and the area around it with some nice filaments.

Clear Skies this morning with OK seeing 4/6.  Not as good as yesterday.  AR2297 produced a M9.2 flare yesterday at 21:45 UT yesterday and as a result, the associated sunspot area has increased from 30 to 180 millionth.  AR2297 now contains the only 10 spots observed on the Sun this morning.  Today a full disk image in Ha as well as a close up of AR2297in Ha as well as WL/Continuum.

Clear and stable skies today.  Seeing was great, so I brought my SVC80 out again for white light/continuum filtered images in addition to the Ha. The Sun is very quiet today with three active regions and 7 Sunspots covering only 50 millionth and only a few C-class flares!  Wow. Some nice filaments stretch out and we observe a few proms primarily at the Western limb.

Finally a day with temps in the 60s and a few breaks in the clouds as well as a high level active Sun. I was lucky to get the holes in the clouds while an M3.7 flare was in progress. Unfortunately I had to wait for a proper hole to get a close up at a FL of 1200mm with the SM40. So far AR2290 has produced today 11 C-Class flares, and 5 M-class flares including an M4.1 and M3.7. Wow that’s fun again.