Sun
Solar Activity
The data displayed in the graph below show mean monthly sunspot Active Area counts based
purely on my own observations using 20cm aperture telescopes. Cycle 23 had two peaks, the first
in mid-2000 and the second at the end of 2001. The first high latitude sunspot group of Cycle 24
appeared on 4.1.08, and I was able to image it the following day. The deepest minimum of solar
activity for about a century was broken when Cycle 24 finally kicked in towards the end of 2009.
Click on the photo for Aurora Gallery Above left: Aurora Borealis 15th July 2000 Above right: sunspot group that caused the aurora as seen on 13th July 2000.
Click here for drawings made by Galileo of sunspots: http://galileo.rice.edu/sci/observations/sunspot_drawings.html
The deepest solar minimum for about a century dragged on for 2-3 years, punctuated with the occasional
small sunspot group, as below. This image shows the 'rice grain' appearance of the solar photosphere, each 'grain' a convection cell.
23.6.09 18:16 UT (Sun only 25.5 degrees above the horizon)
20cm meade LX200 SCT @ F10; Baader Photo Astrosolar Film;
Astronomik 13nm passband H-alpha filter; Baader UV/IR rejection
filter; SKYnyx 2-0M CCD.
Dark filament on the Sun
Above: subtle changes to the dark filament and surrounding chromosphere on 24.5.09
Upper = 08:32 UT; Middle = 08:49 UT; Lower = 09:12 UT
Orion 80mm ED Apo refractor f = 600mm amplified to approx. 1400mm; Coronado SM 40 H-alpha
filter double stacked; Baader UV/IR rejection filter; SKYnyx 2-0M CCD
Late cycle 23 surge in solar activity ...
27.3.08 Comparison of White Light and H-alpha views of the Sun
White light: 09:29 - 09:39 UT; Orion 80 ED Apo refractor f=600mm; SXV-H9 CCD; stack of 57 images; Baader astrosolar visual filter, Baader Solar Continuum
filter and Baader UV/IR rejection filter. H-alpha: 09:47 - 10:01 UT; Orion 80 ED Apo refractor f=600mm; SXV-H9 CCD; stack of 124 images; SM-40 double
stacked filters; Baader UV/IR rejection filter.
These three sunspots are clearly from the old dying out cycle as they hug the Sun's equator. For a full-size
animation CLICK HERE!
Curvy filaments AR 940 and AR 941 3.2.07
Mozaic of 3000 stacked frames of AR 941 (left) and 9000 frames of AR 940 (right) with Lu075M CCD.
Filter: double stacked Coronado SM40, f = 1500mm effectively.
Forest of Prominences
16.12.06 12.53 - 12.59 UT
Orion 80 ED Apo refractor f effectively boosted to 1500mm; SXV-H9 CCD; Coronado SM-40 double stacked
filters < 0.05nm passband; 44 x 0.25s image stack
AR 0930 - plages and filaments
9.12.06 12:41 - 12:47 UT
Orion 80 ED Apo refractor f effectively boosted to 1500mm; SXV-H9 CCD; Coronado SM-40 double stacked
filters < 0.05nm passband; 40 x 0.08s image stack
4.11.06 11.45 - 11.51 UT
Orion 80 ED Apo refractor f=600mm; SXV-H9 CCD; Coronado SM-40 double stacked
filters < 0.05nm passband; 67 image stack
Dark filaments on the Sun...
7.10.06 Double-stacked SM40 H-alpha filter on Orion 80 ED Apo refractor f = 1500mm effectively.
Baader UV/IR blocker. Stack of 41 images with SXV-H9 CCD.
Fiery Solar Prominences ...
30.9.06 Double-stacked SM40 H-alpha filter on Orion 80 ED Apo refractor f = 600mm.
Baader UV/IR blocker. Stack of about 1300 images with Lu075M.
Below: A pair of high resolution Lu075M CCD images of the Sun through a 20cm Meade
LX200 SCT @ F25. Filters: full aperture Baader photographic solar film, Baader Solar
Continuum filter, Baader UV/IR blocker.
1.7.06 08:51 UTC
9.6.06 09:31 UTCThis whole disk H-alpha image was obtained on 14.4.06, showing several filaments:
On 10.4.06 a 'brontosaurus' prominence appeared!
Above is a white light image obtained on 5.4.06 from 11.55 - 12.04 UTC.
Below is a H-alpha image the same day from 10.51 - 10.54 UTC for comparison.
15.10.05Flare producing sunspot group AR798...
WHITE LIGHT 17.9.05 10:11 UTC
H-alpha 17.9.05 09:43 UTC
H-alpha Sun on 3.8.05...
For a spectacular full-resolution version of the above CLICK HERE!
Sun on 2.8.05...
H-alpha view with double-stacked <0.05nm pass band Coronado SM-40 filter.
Stack of 36 SXV-H9 CCD images on Orion 80 ED Apo reftractor f=600mm.
White light close up of main sunspot group 11:54 UTC
20cm Meade LX200 SCT @ F10; Baader visual astrosolar filter,
NDx10 filter; SXV-H9 CCD stack of 26 images.
Sun 3.7.05
Notice how the various sunspot groups hug either side of the equator - this is
typical for late in the solar cycle. For a FULL resolution version that shows the
dramatic faculae better CLICK HERE! Close inspection shows a few 'tiny'
blobs of brighter material at high latitudes. These are polar faculae that are
more common at solar minimum.
Stack of 106 x 0.006s exposures with an SXV-H9 CCD with NDx10 and IR blocker filters on my
Orion 80 ED Apo f/600mm refractor fitted with a Baader visual filter.
Prominences at the Sun's limb (Earth shown to scale)
27.2.05 mozaic of two .avi video sequences taken with ATK-1HS CCD on an
Orion 80 ED Apo refractor f/600mm through a SM-40 H-alpha filter
Comparison of the Sun's chromosphere and photosphere on 13.2.05
H-alpha: 51 x 0.002s exposures with SM-40 filter on Orion 80 ED Apo refractor f/600mm and SXV-H9 CCD.
Natural Light: 58 x 0.005s exposures with full aperture Baader Astrosolar Film on Orion 80 ED Apo and SXV-H9 CCD.
Click for: 200kB fine detailed image
Sun in white light 16.1.05
Stack of 17 x 0.01s exposures with SXV-H9 CCD on Orion 80 ED Apo refractor @ F7.5.
Filters: full aperture Baader Astrosolar film and separate NDx10.
M2 flare in AR715 on 30.12.04
SXV-H9 CCD on my Orion 80 ED Apo refractor f/600mm; 53 x 0.002s exposures with Coronado SM-40 filter
Click for: 600 x 599 medium resolution version
The Sun in H-alpha light on 21.12.04
Coronado SM-40 H-alpha filter on Orion 90mm refractor f=500mm
Stack of 35 x 0.004s exposures with SXV-H9 CCD camera - Sun only 15 degrees altitude!
Click for: full resolution 779 x 768 version
24.10.04 Comparison of the Sun in normal white light (left) and H-alpha (right)
Orion 80 ED Apo refractor f=600mm; SXV-H9 CCD; Baader Astrosolar film (white light), Coronado SM-40 (H-alpha).
28 stacked images (white light), 34 stacked images (H-alpha).
Sun in H-alpha (left) and White Light (right) 22.8.04
H-alpha image is a stack of 87x0.002s exposures with SXV-H9 CCD, Coronado SM-40 filter on Orion 80 ED Apo refractor
White light image is a stack of 50x0.005s exposures with SXV-H9 CCD, Baader Astrosolar film and NDx10 on Orion 80
ED Apo refractor
M5 Flare in AR649: 15.8.04
Giant sunspot group AR649 on 14.8.04 (turbulent summer seeing)
10.8.04
26.7.04
The Sun on 23.7.04
Upper images in white light and H-alpha with Orion 90mm f=500mm refractor.
Lower image in white light with 20cm Meade LX200 SCT. Baader Astrosolar film used for white
light images and Coronado SM-40 filter used for H-alpha.
Giant sunspot group AR652 on 23.7.04
47 x 0.015s exposures with SXV-H9 CCD, Baader Astrosolar Filter, NDx10 filter, 20cm Meade LX200
Surprising surge in activity in late-October 2003...
Here is a series of white-light photos taken with TP2415 film through my 20cm
Meade LX200 SCT showing the remarkable growth of several giant sunspot groups.
23.10.03 25.10.03
26.10.03 27.10.03
29.10.03 30.10.03
1.11.03
The result was an auroral display on 29th...
27.9.03
4.5.03
24.4.02 17:20 U.T. 0.15nm Lumicon H-alpha filter 50ASA Fuji Velvia film
X5 flare 25.8.01 0.15nm Lumicon H-alpha filter
Arch prominence 25.7.01
0.15nm Lumicon H-alpha filter, HX516 CCD
