The Mosque and the Mushroom

Solar sketch on January 20th, 2008
By Erika Rix

2008 01 21, 1155ST -1241ST (1655UT – 1741UT)

Solar H-alpha

PCW Memorial Observatory, Zanesville, Ohio, USA, Lat: 40.01 /  Long: -81.56

Erika Rix

Temp:  19.0 °F / -7.2 °C

Winds:  from the South at 6.9 mph, light cirrus

Wind chill ~ 12F

Humidity:  42%

Seeing: 5/6 with moments of 4/5

Transparency:  2/6

Alt: 29.3   Az: 168.6

Equipment:

Internally double stacked Maxscope 60mm, LXD75, 40mm ProOptic Plossl, 21-7mm Zhumell

Sketch Media:

Black Strathmore Artagain paper, white Conte’ and Prang pencils, white vinyl eraser.

Added -27 brightness, +6 contrast after scanning. 

Tilting Sun program used for digital Sun insert.

Yesterday I had forgotten to record drift before I brought the Maxscope back inside
and closed up the observatory.  Not feeling like setting back up again to record
drift, I guessed the orientation incorrectly.  Today, I observed close to the same
time as yesterday and with the diagonal near the same position and by comparing
today’s sketch with yesterday’s, I think I can safely say the SW prom that I
sketched was actually a SE prominence.  I’m sorry for my error, but happy to supply
a compared view of the two solar sketches. 

 

Solar sketch on January 21th, 2008
By Erika Rix

Please note the differences in the 55 deg PA and the 135 deg PA (approximately)
prominences between the two days.  The NE prom developed into a beautiful display
today that at first glance appeared to be a soft mushroom head with hardly a stem
beneath it. Nine minutes later and bumping up the magnification, it took a
completely different structure with clearly several legs reaching to the limb as
well as a pointed tip swaying to the north.

The SE prominence today at first glance was shaped like a beautiful mosque.  Bumping
up the magnification made it more difficult to see as much detail because the sky
conditions took a turn for the worst and I had to keep waiting patiently for moments
of clarity to complete the prominence sketch. By the time it became steady and
clear, the prom had changed too much for me to add the fainter portions of it. 

The plage that I noted yesterday was no where to be found today.