May 4, 2008 Solar Collage

H-Alpha Sun
Sketch and Details by Erika Rix

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

Erika Rix

Temp: 54.0°F / 12.2 °C
Winds: 5.8 mph NW, clear turning to partly cloudy
Humidity: 53%
Seeing: very poor 2/6
Transparency: 4/6

Equipment:
Internally double stacked Maxscope 60mm, LXD75, 40mm ProOptic Plossl, 21-7mm Zhumell, ETX70AT, 8mm TV Plossl

Sketch Media:
H-alpha – Black Strathmore Artagain paper, white Conte’ and Prang pencils, white vinyl eraser.

White light pores created in Photoshop.

New active region in the ESE quadrant was visible with two crescent shaped plage facing each other during the h-alpha observing session. In white light, seeing was very poor making it invisible at first glance. Eventually my eyes were able to see two dark specks in the AR, appearing to be only umbrae, with the more easterly one slightly darker and thicker.

No faculae were noted in white light.

Of the prominence activity in h-alpha, the long line of southern prominences had filament reaching out over the disk on the far western edge. The large eastern edged prom in this line was leaning at a crook to the east (right) in my FOV. It was also the faintest of the four more prominent prominences around the Sun’s limb.