Category: Sun

Solar Fireworks

Solar

Solar prominences on June 11th, 2009.
Sketch and Details by Jeff Young

I observed this interesting solar prominence on the 11th of June. While most of the action was quite dim (particularly the two outer arches), there was one bright section elevated some distance off the limb which looked for all the world like fireworks going off.

White Derwent Graphitint pencil on black Strathmore Artagain paper.

Sketched from County Louth, Ireland.

As viewed through 70mm Solarscope h-alpha filter, Tele Vue Pronto, Astro-Physics Barlow, Baader MkV binoviewer and 19mm Panoptics.

Cheers,

— Jeff.

Intensity, Energy, and Beauty

AR 1019

Solar h-alpha, Active Region 1019 on June 2nd, 2009
Sketch and Details by Deirdre Kelleghan

Active Region 1019
June 2nd 2009
PST 40 mm / 8mm TVP Up scaled by eye
Pastel, and Conte on black paper
11:00 UT

After several months of drawing tiny proms dancing on the solar limb I was thrilled to see an new active region forming. Experimenting with solar drawing is fun because it is a challenge to achieve accurate details as the view is so tiny. Solar granulation as seen in the h alpha is very difficult to depict. I will continue in pursuit of my goal accuracy in observing and depiction. Drawing helps me understand what I am looking at , which in turn helps me in my efforts to understand the sun.

Deirdre

Sunny Delight

Proms 053109

Solar h-alpha, 2009 May 31, 1610UT – 1725UT
Sketch and Details by Erika Rix

2009 May 31, 1610UT – 1725UT
Solar h-alpha, Erika Rix
PCW Memorial Observatory, Zanesville, Ohio USA

DS 60mm Maxscope, LXD75, 21-7mm Zhumell
Sketch created scopeside with black Strathmore Artagain paper, white
Conte’ crayon and pencil, white Prang watercolor pencil, black oil pencil.

Temp: 23°C-24.8°C , Humidity 48%
Seeing: Wilson 3, Transparency: 2/6
Clear with haze, winds N ~8mph
Alt: 59.9, Az: 118.2

Initial impression was a bit of disappointment because the huge
prominence that others are reporting wasn’t apparent to me at the
eyepiece. Later today, that large prominence was reported to have
dissipated by 1600UT, so I believe I had just caught the tail end of
it. It was to the northwest and at 1615UT, all that I could see in that
area with our poor transparency was a faint wisp of a prominence.

There were three areas of plage; one nearly midway across the disk and a
second one to the east, both in the northern hemisphere; and another
small area ~ 150° just inside the southern limb. This southern one
makes me wonder if it could be an ephemeral region. Three fairly
obvious filaments could be seen, the largest nearly reaching the small
prominence at ~190°. The center of the disk was full of the dark
hairlike fractures of fibrils or spicules, making a beautiful scene when
moments of better sky conditions would allow for it.

Jumping Fish

Proms 052409

Solar prominences on May 24th, 2009
Sketch and Details by Jeff Young

This solar prominence group appeared off the NE limb on May 24th. While much of it was rather dim, it displayed a few bright sections with fast moving action, and it was all I could do to keep up with them. I was sketching continuously for the entire hour depicted here. I would have liked to have done another pair of frames, but was somewhat surprised to find myself exhausted after concentrating for an hour.

White Derwent Graphitint pencil on black Strathmore Artagain paper (two frames per sheet, with the two sheets combined in Photoshop after scanning).

Sketched from County Louth, Ireland.

As viewed through 70mm Solarscope h-alpha filter, Tele Vue Pronto, Astro-Physics Barlow, Baader MkV binoviewer and 19mm Panoptic eyepieces.

Cheers,

— Jeff.

Goodbye AR 1017

Proms 052009

Solar disk in H-alpha on May 20th, 2009
Sketch and Details by Erika Rix

2009 May 20, 1410UT – 1515UT

Solar h-alpha, AR1017

PCW Memorial Observatory, Zanesville, Ohio USA
Erika Rix

DS 60mm Maxscope, LXD75, 21-7mm Zhumell
Sketch created scopeside with black Strathmore Artagain paper, white Conte’ crayon and pencil, white Prang watercolor pencil, Derwent charcoal pencil, black oil pencil.

Temp: 17.3°C-21.1°C, Humidity 50%
Seeing: Wilson 4, Transparency: 3/6
Clear with slight breeze and a little haze
Alt: 42.6, Az: 99.4

Active region 1017 is now spending its last moments on the western limb and will be leaving us soon. The plage was fairly unremarkable and faint except for a very bright portion on the leading edge of the faint filament running north to south along side of it.

The region approximately 40° in from the eastern limb has a slender, but well-defined filament that, upon closer closer inspection, branches off toward the north with a black, almost round smudge at the crook of the branch. There were contrasty areas of faint plage making streaks and mottles around the filament.

There were a few broader filaments scattered about, although soft in appearance. And the prominences were very small and scattered; however, there was on area of prominences toward the south that made a beautiful display.

Best regards,
Erika

Gazing Through the H-alpha Window

Proms 051909

Solar h-alpha, AR1017: 2009 May 19, 1428UT – 1600UT
Sketch and Details by Erika Rix

2009 May 19, 1428UT – 1600UT
Solar h-alpha, AR1017

PCW Memorial Observatory, Zanesville, Ohio USA
Erika Rix

DS 60mm Maxscope, LXD75, 21-7mm Zhumell
Sketch created scopeside with black Strathmore Artagain paper, white
Conte’ crayon and pencil, white Prang watercolor pencil, Derwent
charcoal pencil, black oil pencil.

Temp: 14.2°C-19.8°C , Humidity 44%
Seeing: Wilson 3-3.5 , Transparency: 2/6
Light cirrus 90% coverage, slightly hazy, winds 4.6mph SSW
Alt: 41.8, Az: 105.7

AR1017 is making its way to the western limb, still clearly visible at
first glance with the crooked u-shape and then by looking closer, the
dark contrasts lining the inside of the “u”. The prominence activity
was pretty showy today and the spotless region to the east needed to be
in just the right spot of my field of view to be observed. The plage
was wishbone shaped with what appeared to be a slender, black filament
reaching out from it to the east.

The larger of the eastern proms looked detached at first, but as
transparency improved, the haze cleared up around the solar disk and I
was able to follow the entire loop where it met the limb on both sides
and even a few places in between.

Solar Garden

AR1017

Solar h-alpha on May 15th, 2009
Sketch and Details Erika Rix

2009 May 15, 1515UT – 1625UT
Solar AR 1017

PCW Memorial Observatory, Zanesville, Ohio USA
Erika Rix

DS 60mm Maxscope, LXD75, 21-7mm Zhumell
Sketch created scopeside with black Strathmore Artagain paper, white
Conte’ crayon and pencil, white Prang watercolor pencil, Derwent
charcoal pencil, black oil pencil.

Temp: 21.8°C – 25.6°C, Humidity 42%
Seeing: Wilson 4, Transparency: 4/6
Light cirrus, winds calm
Alt: 50.3, Az: 110.2

Glancing at a lower magnification with the zoom eyepiece, three main
areas of prom immediately came to view at approximately 40°, 130°, and
215° position angles. Then adjusting the outer Etalon, the plage of the
AR most westwardly popped out, followed by the eastwardly portion of it.
I’m a bit unsure if there were actually 2 active regions I was viewing
but I’ve only seen a designation for AR1017. It appeared to be two
separate active regions from today’s views.

Increasing magnification with excellent seeing conditions and the light
cirrus not bothering me, I concentrated on the prominences first and it
was then that I spotted another at approximately 280° PA. It twice as
tall as the spike in the group near 120° and spanned across 30° of limb.
It was very soft looking but I could still make out strands of structure
vertically within it – beautiful and certainly the treat of the day.

Going back to the active regions, in both areas, I could make out what I
believed to be magnetic lines. You can almost see the subtle renderings
of them in my sketch if you look hard enough. I did find myself
rendering the contrast a little more severe than true to the view, but
the details of this region were as true as I could make them through
sketch by making fine adjustments to the FOV as well as the Etalons of
my double stacked Maxscope.

Sleeping Giant Stirring Again?

Proms 051209

Solar prominences on May 12, 2009
Sketch and Details by Stephen Ames Jr.

Is ole sol finally waking back up?

Crayola Cerulean for plage
Conti White pencil for filament
Crayola Aqua Green pencil for proms
white 20# paper with Aqua Green disk
I scan into photoshop and invert.

Blue skies,

Stephen Ames Jr.