Sunspot sighting

At work this morning (between Fort Worth and Dallas, Texas) a friend told me
that he'd heard something on the news about a geomagetnic storm. He didn't
have any details. We talked for a while and then I remembered that I'd once
seen some large sunspots through filtered glass a few years ago when we had
some big sunspots in the news, so during morning break I went outside to
take a look.

Sure enough, I saw one sunspot through a well-filtered, non-magnified eye:
it appeared totally dead-center in the middle of the sun's disk!!!!! Looked
like a big, bright, yellow long-playing record with no label. Bullseye!
Couldn't see any other spots anywhere near it.

This was about 9:30 a.m. Central time, Thurs. 23 Oct. '03.

Matt J. McCullar
Arlington, TX

I also tried to see what the Sun looked like through filters with no
telescopic aid, and despite cirrus clouds I saw that lsame large sunspot
group dead center. I took some sequences of images and it looks like some
of them turned out. Stay tuned !
--
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Pinprick holes in a colorless sky
Let inspired figures of light pass by
The Mighty Light of ten thousand suns
Challenges infinity, and is soon gone




"Matt J. McCullar" wrote in message
. com...
At work this morning (between Fort Worth and Dallas, Texas) a friend told
me
that he'd heard something on the news about a geomagetnic storm. He
didn't
have any details. We talked for a while and then I remembered that I'd
once
seen some large sunspots through filtered glass a few years ago when we
had
some big sunspots in the news, so during morning break I went outside to
take a look.

Sure enough, I saw one sunspot through a well-filtered, non-magnified eye:
it appeared totally dead-center in the middle of the sun's disk!!!!!
Looked
like a big, bright, yellow long-playing record with no label. Bullseye!
Couldn't see any other spots anywhere near it.

This was about 9:30 a.m. Central time, Thurs. 23 Oct. '03.

Matt J. McCullar
Arlington, TX

Matt,

Yes, there is a nice spot centrally located. If you want to keep tabs on
sunspots from the comfort of your computer, try this link:

http://umbra.nascom.nasa.gov/images/..._mdi_igram.gif

Regards,
Rod B.

Matt J. McCullar wrote in message ...
At work this morning (between Fort Worth and Dallas, Texas) a friend told
me
that he'd heard something on the news about a geomagetnic storm. He didn't
have any details. We talked for a while and then I remembered that I'd
once
seen some large sunspots through filtered glass a few years ago when we had
some big sunspots in the news, so during morning break I went outside to
take a look.

Sure enough, I saw one sunspot through a well-filtered, non-magnified eye:
it appeared totally dead-center in the middle of the sun's disk!!!!!
Looked
like a big, bright, yellow long-playing record with no label. Bullseye!
Couldn't see any other spots anywhere near it.

This was about 9:30 a.m. Central time, Thurs. 23 Oct. '03.

Matt J. McCullar
Arlington, TX

"Matt J. McCullar" wrote in message
. com...

Sure enough, I saw one sunspot through a well-filtered,
non-magnified eye:

Matt--

last year i was on a boy scout campout and was taking a pic of some of the
boys canoeing on a lake. the sun was very low in the distance, just above
the horizon and in the picture. and i thought i saw a bird flying directly
in front of the sun. then i realized that it was a large, naked eye sunspot
that had been mentioned here on saa. pretty cool.

clear, dark skies--

mark d.