Wot no sunspots!?

Hmmm - the Sun doesn't look terribly interesting at the moment. By
the time of the transit you could simply make your own by drawing a
featureless circle on a piece of paper and marking in a small black
dot.

Spot 621 - the only visible one on the image is fading apparently.

http://www.pbl33.fast24.co.uk/sun_060604.jpg

--
Pete Lawrence
http://www.pbl33.co.uk
Most recent images http://www.pbl33.fast24.co.uk/recent_images.html

Pete Lawrence wrote:

Hmmm - the Sun doesn't look terribly interesting at the moment. By
the time of the transit you could simply make your own by drawing a
featureless circle on a piece of paper and marking in a small black
dot.

Spot 621 - the only visible one on the image is fading apparently.

http://www.pbl33.fast24.co.uk/sun_060604.jpg

Regular sun watching every day the Sun shines (ie irregular watching)
for the last couple of years, I've never seen it so empty. Much more
experienced observers than me have been surprised at how much life
there's been in the descent to minimum. We seem to have hit the bottom
with a bump just when some spots would have been really handy. The H-a
views have been getting quieter each day since I got the PST. As this
scope was 5 and a half months late, I suppose hundreds were delivered
on the same day, so I'm only taking a small fraction of the blame...

--
Martin Frey
http://www.hadastro.org.uk
N 51 02 E 0 47

In message , Martin Frey
writes
Pete Lawrence wrote:

Hmmm - the Sun doesn't look terribly interesting at the moment. By
the time of the transit you could simply make your own by drawing a
featureless circle on a piece of paper and marking in a small black
dot.

Spot 621 - the only visible one on the image is fading apparently.

http://www.pbl33.fast24.co.uk/sun_060604.jpg

Regular sun watching every day the Sun shines (ie irregular watching)
for the last couple of years, I've never seen it so empty.

Thank god for that! I was beginning to think I'd done something wrong
making my baader filter. Or that the unfortunate wrinkles I got on it
were somehow destroying the detail.

At least I know it's (likely to be) okay ;-))

Much more
experienced observers than me have been surprised at how much life
there's been in the descent to minimum. We seem to have hit the bottom
with a bump just when some spots would have been really handy. The H-a
views have been getting quieter each day since I got the PST. As this
scope was 5 and a half months late, I suppose hundreds were delivered
on the same day, so I'm only taking a small fraction of the blame...

Cheers,
--
Neale Hind
Insanity is hereditary, you get it from your children

"Neale D. Hind" wrote:

Thank god for that! I was beginning to think I'd done something wrong
making my baader filter. Or that the unfortunate wrinkles I got on it
were somehow destroying the detail.

At least I know it's (likely to be) okay ;-))

I used to look regularly at sites like Big Bear solar observatory with
daily pics to compare what you are seeing with - but I soon realised
that my filter was delivering sunspots just as well as their images.
Helpful also to see NSEW marked on thier images (as I'm hopeless at
knowing which way my scope reverses or doesn't revers the image - as S
Tonkin can confirm)

--
Martin Frey
http://www.hadastro.org.uk
N 51 02 E 0 47

Martin Frey wrote in message . ..
"Neale D. Hind" wrote:

Thank god for that! I was beginning to think I'd done something wrong
making my baader filter. Or that the unfortunate wrinkles I got on it
were somehow destroying the detail.

At least I know it's (likely to be) okay ;-))

I used to look regularly at sites like Big Bear solar observatory with
daily pics to compare what you are seeing with - but I soon realised
that my filter was delivering sunspots just as well as their images.
Helpful also to see NSEW marked on thier images (as I'm hopeless at
knowing which way my scope reverses or doesn't revers the image - as S
Tonkin can confirm)


1) Can I just confirm the fact to all our readers that a degree of
looseness in a Baader solar film filter is perfectly acceptable?
Tightness is really not necessary or even desirable. Unless you know
this simple fact you might think your home made Baader filter is
worthless. It isn't. Just make sure it fits snugly on your scope and
can't get knocked off or fall off in a breeze. Check the filter for
tears, scrapes and holes regularly. I keep mine in a clear plastic
food drum for protection. (And so I can find it in a hurry)

2) Take your finder off completely! Or lens cap the objective. Then
tape the cap on securely with cellotape or masking tape. Use the
shadow of your scope tube on the ground to line the scope up on the
sun. It's a doddle with a bit of practice even on rough grass.

3) Never leave your scope unnattended in daylight. A curious person or
kid might think the filter is a lens cover. They might remove it then
have a look at the sun with tragic results.

End of public service safety accouncement. (cue music)

Chris.B