|
| |
All images below were acquired from my home in Victoria,
British Columbia, Canada unless otherwise noted - Lat:
48° 26' 45" Long: 123° 21' 30" Elev: 43m.
Sunspot diagrams from
www.spaceweather.com
Always observe the Sun safely by using top quality
solar filters. Never look directly at the Sun with your eyes.
Safe Solar
Eclipse Observing
Take the time to
adjust your monitor
before viewing my online photos, and you will see them at their best.
| Image |
Date/Time |
Description |
Settings |
 |
2006.08.12
3:35pm PDT |
Large Sunpot 904
There certainly are two sunspots in this
image, but they started out as a single sunspot when they were assigned
a number. |
Camera:
Canon 30D, 1/125 sec, ISO 400, WB:daylight.
Scope: Tele Vue TV-76 apochromatic refractor, f/6.3,
std diagonal, Identiview solar filter. Camera mounted a-focally using a
Powermate 2.5x.
Image Processing: ACDSee Photo
Manager
- original 3504x2336 image resized to 540x588, moderate contrast
stretch and strong unsharp mask applied. Full resolution image cropped to
514x303 to highlight
sunspot detail. |
 |
2006.03.29
11:08am-12:30pm Local Time (UT +1 hr)
Location: Eclipse Camp, Sahara Desert south of Jalu, Libya
N28°13' 48" E21°30' 43" Elevation 124m |
Total Solar
Eclipse
I observed this Total Solar Eclipse from
the Sahara Desert, south of Jalu, Libya with a group from the Royal
Astronomical Society of Canada. I estimate there were some 1,500 to 3,000
people at the Eclipse Camp. This "city" was setup by the Libyan
government in the Sahara especially for this event.
Timings
 | First Contact: 11:08am |
| Second Contact: 12:26pm |
| Third Contact 12:30pm |
| Fourth Contact: 1:50pm |
| Totality duration: 4 min 3 secs |
|
Camera:
Canon Digital Rebel 300D, Canon 400mm L series telephoto (efl=640mm), 47
images taken between 11:08am and 12:53pm Local Time (UT +1 hr). All phased
images taken using Baader solar filter: 1/2000 sec, f/5.6; ISO 400. All full
eclipse images taken without solar filter: exposure varied from 1/2000 sec
to 1/50 sec, f/5.6, ISO 400. Image Processing:
Neat Image smoothing of Second and Third Contact images. Corel PhotoPaint X3
- up-sample Second & Third Contact images by 50%; down-sample phased
images by 50%; crop and insert all in composite. |
 |
2006.03.29
Second Contact: 12:26pm Local Time (UT +1 hr)
Location: Eclipse Camp, Sahara Desert
south of Jalu, Libya N28°13' 48" E21°30' 43" Elevation 124m |
Total Solar Eclipse -
Second Contact, Diamond Ring, Solar Flares
The Diamond Ring I observed for this Total
Solar Eclipse was nothing short of spectacular. I am very pleased with
the image, which is essentially unprocessed, as it came out of the camera.
There are several solar flares visible, in addition to the plasma streaming
off the Sun.
Totality lasted 4 minutes and 3 seconds as
predicted, during which I was taking photos periodically and observing the
event with my binoculars without solar filters (which felt odd). |
Camera:
Canon Digital Rebel 300D, Canon 400mm L series telephoto (efl=640mm), single
image taken without solar filter: 1/2000 sec, f/5.6, ISO 400. Image Processing:
Neat Image smoothing. Corel PhotoPaint X3
- up-sampled image by 50%; cropped. |
 |
2006.03.29
Third Contact: 12:30pm Local Time (UT +1 hr)
Location: Eclipse Camp, Sahara Desert
south of Jalu, Libya N28°13' 48" E21°30' 43" Elevation 124m |
Total Solar Eclipse -
Third Contact, Diamond Ring, Bailey's Beads
This is another Diamond Ring I observed
for this Total Solar Eclipse - again quite spectacular! I am very
pleased with the image, which is essentially unprocessed, as it came out of
the camera.
After Third Contact, I took a few more
images, but then shut my camera off and just observed the remainder of the
event with my binoculars with solar filters. We had over an hour to sit back
and enjoy the phases as the Moon slid past the Sun, eventually revealing the
whole solar disk at Fourth Contact. |
Camera:
Canon Digital Rebel 300D, Canon 400mm L series telephoto (efl=640mm), single
image taken without solar filter: 1/500 sec, f/5.6, ISO 400. Image Processing:
Neat Image smoothing. Corel PhotoPaint X3
- up-sampled image by 50%; cropped. |
 |
2005.09.10
2:27pm PDT |
Giant Sunspot 798
Sunspot 798 generated X17 class solar
radiation, causing widespread aurora and radio and satellite outages. |
Camera:
Meade LPI Imager, 0.003 sec, Gain 100, Offset 0, 54 images taken over
43
seconds.
Scope: ETX-60AT refractor, f/5.8,
std diagonal, Identiview solar filter.
Image Processing: AutoStar Suite
Envisage
- images auto stacked - Align & Combine, Hard Edge filter. Min Quality 70%, Eval Count 10. Corel PhotoPaint
- create image insert to highlight
sunspot detail.
|
 |
2005.07.03
5:51pm PDT |
Large Sunpots 783, 786,
smaller Sunspots 781, 782, 785, 788
Although sunspots 783 and 786 are large,
they only generated M-class emissions. |
Camera:
Canon 300D Digital Rebel, 1/800 sec, ISO 800, WB:daylight.
Scope: Tele Vue TV-76 apochromatic refractor, f/6.3,
std diagonal, Identiview solar filter.
Image Processing: Corel PhotoPaint
- original 3072x2048 image resized to 872,842, moderate contrast
stretch and adaptive unsharp applied. Full resolution image inserts added to highlight
sunspot detail. |
 |
2004.08.13
5:10pm PDT |
Huge Sunpot 649
Smaller Sunspots 652, 657, 660
Sunspot 649 is even more huge than 652
(see image below), although to date no aurora are attributed to this
sunspot. X-class emissions are likely from this sunspot, but it
remains to be seen if they hit the Earth's atmosphere. |
Camera:
Meade LPI Imager, 0.003 sec, Gain 43, Offset 73, 20 images taken over
150
seconds.
Scope: ETX-60AT refractor, f/5.8,
std diagonal, Identiview solar filter.
Image Processing: AutoStar Suite
- images auto stacked - Align & Combine, Hard Edge filter. Min Quality 70%, Eval Count 10. Corel PhotoPaint
- shift colour to orange/yellow and create image inserts to highlight
sunspot detail. |
Diagram from
www.spaceweather.com |
2004.07.25
4:48pm PDT |
Huge Sunpot 652
Smaller Sunspot 653
Sunspots: 652(big), 653 (smaller)
Sunspot 652 is huge by any standards, and
is likely reponsible for the Aurora we
observed at midnight earlier today. Aurora in SW British Columbia is
quite rare. |
Camera:
Meade LPI Imager, 0.003 sec, Gain 43, Offset 70, 44 images taken over
56
seconds.
Scope: ETX-60AT refractor, f/5.8,
std diagonal, Identiview solar filter.
Image Processing: AutoStar Suite
- images auto stacked - Align & Combine, Hard Edge filter. Min Quality 70%, Eval Count 10. Corel PhotoPaint
- shift colour to orange/yellow and create image inserts to highlight
sunspot detail. |
 |
2004.07.13
5:40pm PDT |
Sunpots 642, 644, 646,
648, 649
Multiple sunspots in this image. |
Camera:
Meade LPI Imager, 0.003 sec, Gain 43, Offset 70, 51 images taken over
50
seconds.
Scope: ETX-60AT refractor, f/5.8,
std diagonal, Identiview solar filter.
Image Processing: AutoStar Suite
- images auto stacked - Align & Combine, Hard Edge filter. Min Quality 70%, Eval Count 10. Corel PhotoPaint
- shift colour to orange/yellow and create image inserts to highlight
sunspot detail. |
 |
2004.06.18
2:07pm PDT |
Sunspots 634, 635, 632
Sunspots 634 and 635 both appear as groups of spots. Sunspot 632 is a single small spot. I can't see Sunspot 631
in my image.
|
Camera:
Meade LPI Imager, 0.003 sec, Gain 22, Offset 27, 40 images taken over
36
seconds.
Scope: ETX-60AT refractor, f/5.8,
std diagonal, Identiview solar filter.
Image Processing: AutoStar Suite
- images auto stacked - Align & Combine, Hard Edge filter. Min Quality 50%, Eval Count 10. Corel PhotoPaint
- no further processing other than to add my copyright notice. |
 |
2004.02.11
4:47pm PST |
Sun - Sunspot 551
Sunspot 551 appears in the lower left
quadrant and smaller sunspot 554 appears in the upper right quadrant.
This is my second attempt at imaging
the Sun using the Meade LPI Imager. Using an LPI to image bright
objects such as the Sun makes the imaging process easy.
The Hard Edge Filter seems suited for
solar images to enhance the photosphere details, especially the sunspots.
|
Camera:
Meade LPI Imager, 0.006 sec, Gain 83, Offset 47, 17 images taken over 71
seconds.
Scope: ETX-60AT refractor, f/5.8,
std diagonal, Identiview solar filter.
Image Processing: AutoStar Suite
- images auto stacked - Align & Combine, Hard Edge filter. Min Quality 80%,
Eval Count 10. Corel PhotoPaint - original 640x480 image cropped
& reduced to 496x424 size, minor contrast stretch and colour enhancement. |
 |
2004.02.11
4:44pm PST |
Sun - Sunspot 551
Sunspot 551 appears in the lower left
quadrant and smaller sunspot 554 appears in the upper right quadrant.
This is my second attempt at imaging
the Sun using the Meade LPI Imager. Using an LPI to image bright
objects such as the Sun makes the imaging process easy.
The Edges Only Filter is an interesting
way to process solar images to emphasize just the sunspots and the solar
disk.
|
Camera:
Meade LPI Imager, 0.006 sec, Gain 83, Offset 47, 17 images taken over 71
seconds.
Scope: ETX-60AT refractor, f/5.8,
std diagonal, Identiview solar filter.
Image Processing: AutoStar Suite
- images auto stacked - Align & Combine, Hard Edge filter. Min Quality 80%,
Eval Count 10. Corel PhotoPaint - original 640x480 image cropped
& reduced to 510x474 size, minor contrast stretch. |
 |
2003.05.27
5:13pm PDT |
Sun - Sunspots 365 (left) & 368
(right)
Location: 3046 Jackson St, Victoria
ScopeTronix Identi-View solar filter on the ETX-60.
Some structure is visible in the sunspot - dark interior, lighter exterior.
Structure also visible on the Sun's surface.
Image should be flipped L-R. |
Camera:
Nikon Coolpix 4500, 1/222 sec, f/5.8, 64mm, ISO 200, max 5x digital zoom
Scope: ETX-60 60mm refractor, f/5.8,
a-focal, 12.4mm Plossl eyepiece, Identiview solar filter
Image Processing:
ImagesPlus: auto
stretch and 3x3 bin of original 2272x1704 image |
 |
2003.05.27
5:16pm PDT |
Sun
- Sunspots 365 (left) & 368 (right)
Location: 3046 Jackson St, Victoria
ScopeTronix Identi-View solar filter on the ETX-60.
Some structure is visible in the sunspot - dark interior, lighter exterior.
Structure also visible on the Sun's surface.
Image should be flipped L-R. |
Camera:
Nikon Coolpix 4500, 1/202 sec, f/5.6, 30mm, ISO 200, max 5x optical zoom
Scope: ETX-60 60mm refractor, f/5.8,
a-focal, 12.4mm Plossl eyepiece, Identiview solar filter
Image Processing:
ImagesPlus: auto
stretch and 3x3 bin of original 2272x1704 image |
 |
2003.05.08
4:11pm |
Sun
- Sunspot 351
Location: 3046 Jackson St, Victoria
My first try at using my new ScopeTronix Identi-View solar filter on the
ETX-60. Some structure is
visible in the sunspot - dark interior, lighter exterior ring.
Structure also visible on the Sun's surface.
Image should be flipped L-R. |
Camera:
Nikon Coolpix 4500, 1/116 sec, f/4.7, 28mm, ISO 200, Noise Reduction OFF
Scope: ETX-60 60mm refractor, f/5.8,
a-focal, 12.4mm Plossl eyepiece, Identiview solar filter
Image Processing: no processing,
cropped down from original 2272x1704 |
 |
2003.05.08
12:30pm |
Sun
- Sunspot 351
Location: 3046 Jackson St, Victoria
My first try at using my new ScopeTronix Identi-View solar filter on the
ETX-60. Some structure is
visible in the sunspot - dark interior, lighter exterior ring.
Structure also visible on the Sun's surface.
Image should be flipped L-R. |
Camera:
Nikon Coolpix 4500, 1/82 sec, f/4.1, 22mm, ISO 200, Noise Reduction OFF
Scope: ETX-60 60mm refractor, f/5.8,
a-focal, 9mm Kellner eyepiece, Identiview solar filter
Image Processing: no processing,
cropped down from original 2272x1704 |
Take the time to
adjust your monitor
before viewing my online photos, and you will see them at their best.
|
