Today (Sunday) was forecast to be clear until around noon. And for the first time in a while, the forecast actually came to pass.
Yesterday I took some shots of our active Sun at about 10:30AM. I wasn't overly thrilled with them; I'm still struggling with finding a nice mix of ISO and exposure time with this. Mty old Canon T3 was easy; ISO 100 and 1/1000th second exposure. Perfect combination. On this camera, my Canon T2i, that combination results in a disc you can barely see. So I've had it up at ISO 800 with 1/800th sec exp. However, I find this, though bright enough, brings out a lot of sensor noise which is a PITA to work with.
This morning I thought to try the settings at ISO 400 and from 1/400th to 1/800th sec exposure. I tried this at just before 10AM, processed them all, and was very pleased with the results at 1/640th sec, so I went with that for today.
Yesterday I took 20 exposures that I stacked into my final image at 10:31AM. This morning, I waited until 10:31AM, and took 20 exposures which I stacked as well. I was curious to see how much the Sun had rotated in 24 hours.
This is today's Sun; with AR2787, 86 and 85. AR2783 has disappeared off the disc for me.
And this is a stacked comparison of how much the Sun rotated in a day. I figure it takes about 7-8 days for a spot to show up on one edge and disappear off the other; of course that depends where on the disc it is. Throw in the fact too that the Sun is fluid, so that rotation rate may vary as well... Makes me want to do some research...! AR2786 and 85 are the prominent ones; AR2783 is only in one spot (here yesterday, gone today), and if you squint at about the 9-10 o'clock position you can sort of see AR2787. It's becoming more of a speck, not a spot...
We had lunch, then went to my wife's mother's (Frances) place. My wife's father died just over a month ago, and this was the first time we all went out since then. My wife's brother and his wife were there as well. Before Sam (my wife's father died) we shared some quality time and the day he passed, we shared a community bottle of whiskey. After that was finished, we were all talking and my wife noticed that her father was very still.... Being the proud Irishman he was, this was what he wanted. Going out on good times. There's been days when I'm driving over 60 miles (100km's) to my next call, just me, my Ranger and the endless highway, and I start thinking of that last day... I smile to myself and wipe away the tears.
Frances looked tired, but she needed/wanted the company. She's a good woman and I know she'll be OK, even though her companion of 66 years is gone. She's got such good memories
She lives in Burlington, Ontario, which is about 100 miles (160km's) away. She lives in a condo facing lake Ontario. Hamilton is to the right, with the Niagara region facing straight ahead (due south) in this picture:
It's just over 50 miles (86km's) to drive there from where she is, and probably 30-35 miles (48-53km's) as the crow flies to Niagara Falls from there. Here's a map; the red dot is where my wife's mum lives. Gives a perspective of how far away Niagara falls is:
After dinner, I went out on the porch (4th story) with my brother-in-law, Bob; he had a cigar and we both had a beer. Even though it was cloudy out, we could easily make out the glow from the falls. It even showed up in a picture on my iPhone 8. It's pretty much dead center; look for the supernova glow...
I'm glad I don't live there
After a bit more to drink (my wife was driving) and dessert, it was time to head out. But before we did, Frances wanted to impart a few things to me. She really wanted me to have these binoculars. Her and Sam both know/knew my passion for both astronomy and quality optics. I'm not sure how old these are, but I know they've had them for years. Always sitting on a window sill. I've known my wife for 47 years (we were 7 & 8 when we met), and I could swear they've always been there....
The views through these are better that anything I have. Seriously, I've seen the Milky Way from there over lake Ontario on a good night, and the views are stunning. And Japanese glass to boot, which is always a thing for me.
But I really couldn't take them. Her and Sam used those a lot together, and I have to think she'll be sitting alone one night, wishing she had them. That's just me, and for the moment, I have enough of my coveted Japanese optics at home. I explained that to her and said I'd rather use them when I'm over at her place. I think that made her happy
However, she did insist I take two coats of his. He was in the British Merchant Marines in WW2; he's done the Atlantic over 50 times both ways. Sunk once by a U-boat and rescued. All that to say he's always had a black trenchcoat, and for formal it was a beige one. We're both the same size/build, and they fit me perfectly. They're both made by Massimo. I'm not overly familiar with clothes brands (Levi's is it) but they seem to be really good quality; I've never worn anything like that that's fit so well.
I mostly wear clothes that are either black, grey, or dark blue, as does my daughter. Not that we're negative or dark
, it's what we prefer. So after trying both on, I walked out with the black one on, and said to Sarah and Jackie, so, what do you think?Jackie said, Hon, that looks great on you! But try to smile when you walk into gas stations/convenience stores or they'll be reaching under the counter... I looked at Sarah and she said, Daddy, either covert ops or Pumped up Kicks
I got gas on way home, and smiled under my face-mask when I went to pay, which is also black. The attendant seemed to notice and be relieved when I did that...
I hope you all have a good night/day, and all our best,
