Report 013

[Jnicholes]

Date: 12/22/2021
Time: 3:30 PM
Telescope: 80mm refractor 900mm focal length
Camera: Orion Starshoot USB Eyepiece camera ii
Objects viewed: 1
Location: Dietrich, Idaho.
Notes: Camera test session. Solar viewing session

So, this is my first report where I am NOT using my Iphone camera. I am using an old camera I got called an Orion Starshoot USB eyepiece camera ii. It is primarily for planetary photography, not deep sky. I decided to test it with some solar viewing.

I got my aperture solar filter on the telescope, set the exposure, and focused the camera. I Then realized I need a focal reducer to see the whole sun. I will get one later.

I did, however, get a partial video of the sun with sunspots. I ran the video through a program called Registax, and I got the following result:

Sol. Sunspots Visible

Wow, Mr. sun, You got some major freckles or acne going on!

Anyway, I am very pleased with this camera. I will use it on occasion from here on out.

Thats it for this report. Clouds rolled in, so I cant do any more today.

Jared

[Bigzmey]

Nice capture of sun spots Jared!

[Thefatkitty]

Hi Jared, nicely done I believe that group is labelled as AR2915 from the looks of your pic. Actually, the are 10 labelled spots on the Sun today, the most in almost 11 years since the peak of the last solar cycle. And we're only at the beginning of this cycle, hopefully it can only get even better!

As an FYI, my scope I use for solar has the exact same specs as yours, and I use a DSLR (Canon EOS 550D/T2i) I bought second-hand fitted with a T-ring, and am able to get the whole disc in the frame.

Been clouded out here, plus the Sun is really low to the horizon for me this time of year. Nice you were able to get something, good for you!

All the best,

[Jnicholes]

I’m actually unsure of the exact sunspot number it is. My best guess is AR2907–AR2909.

Here’s a current sunspot map. It’s a good website.

https://www.spaceweather.com/

[Ylem]

Nice capture Jared, indeed an active region!

[Makuser]

Hi Jared. A very nice solar image in white light. Lots of sunspots with plages and some filaments too. As of this morning, Raben Systems is reporting 11 active regions on the Earthside view:
https://www.raben.com/maps/
Thanks for sharing this capture with us Jared and keep up the great work.

[Jnicholes]

OK, this poses a question. I’ve heard of sunspots, but not plages and filaments. What are those?

I’ll look it up, but I want to hear from you guys, too.

[Makuser]

Hi Jared. The plages (from the French for beach) are the light spots around the active regions. Filaments are actually huge arcs of plasma (prominences) and when they are face-on to us they look like dark wavy lines. I hope this helps Jared and the best of wishes for clear skies.

[Jnicholes]

Apologies for the delayed reply. My internet went out.

Thanks for answering my question! I appreciate it!

Here is the same photo, only I reprocessed it through Registax and it turned out better, in my opinion. I see the filaments and the plages you mentioned!

Sun_2

Happy Holidays!

Jared