- 9,715
- 11,750
16, 17, 18th
This thread focuses on amateur solar imaging techniques, encouraging participants to share their own images of solar activity and discuss methods for improvement. The scope includes personal experiences, equipment used, and observations of solar phenomena, particularly as the solar cycle progresses towards maximum activity.
Participants generally agree on the value of sharing personal images and experiences, but multiple competing views remain regarding the best techniques and equipment for solar imaging. The discussion remains unresolved on specific recommendations for beginners.
Limitations include varying levels of experience among participants, differing opinions on equipment effectiveness, and the subjective nature of imaging preferences. Some technical details about exposure times and filter types are mentioned but not fully explored.
Amateur astronomers, astrophotographers, and individuals interested in solar activity and imaging techniques may find this discussion beneficial.
DaveE said:He quickly learned to just say "93 million miles!", which they thought was very impressive.
DaveE said:Nice photos.
Explanation: Why is our Sun so active now?No one is sure. An increase in surface activity was expected because our Sun is approaching solar maximum in 2025.However, last month our Sun sprouted more sunspots than in any month during the entire previous 11-year solar cycle -- and even dating back to 2002.The featured picture is a composite of images taken every day from January to June by NASA's Solar Dynamic Observatory. Showing a high abundance of sunspots, large individual spots can be tracked across the Sun's disk, left to right, over about two weeks. As a solar cycle continues, sunspots typically appear closer to the equator. Sunspots are just one way that our Sun displays surface activity -- another is flares and coronal mass ejections (CMEs) that expel particles out into the Solar System.Since these particles can affect astronauts and electronics, tracking surface disturbances is of more than aesthetic value. Conversely, solar activity can have very high aesthetic value -- in the Earth's atmosphere when they trigger aurora.
DiamondTiara said:Sun on September 21st, 2023. I used my Celestron Omni AZ 102 telescope with white light filter. This was before I replaced that telescope. Taken with phone camera.