AR1520 gets even more interesting

The Sun with Sunspot AR1520 and Company, July 12, 2012 at 6:18 PM EDT

Dominating the face of our Sun, this week, has been an enormous group of sunspots including those designated AR1520. The active Sun has been very interesting to watch, of late, as the dark spots rotated over the star’s limb and towards the center of its disk, facing Earth. Hydrogen-alpha observers have also been rewarded with good numbers of prominences spouting into the blackness of space. Forecasters stated AR1520 had great potential for flare activity and on Thursday, July 12, the forecast was fulfilled — just as the sunspot was aimed directly at Earth.

According to SpaceWeather.com, “Big sunspot AR1520 unleashed an X1.4-class solar flare on July 12th at 1653 UT. Because this sunspot is directly facing Earth, everything about the blast was geoeffective. For one thing, it hurled a coronal mass ejection (CME) directly toward our planet. According to a forecast track prepared by analysts at the Goddard Space Weather Lab, the CME will hit Earth on July 14th around 10:20 UT (+/- 7 hours) and could spark strong geomagnetic storms. Sky watchers should be alert for auroras this weekend.”

As so often seems the case, weather forecasts for the weekend include plenty of clouds to interfere with the view. Still, aurora fans should stay alert to active displays and the potential for clear skies; it could be a good show!

Photo above: The Sun with prominent AR1520 accompanied by smaller sunspots. Canon EOS 50D: ISO 400, f/11, 1/1000 sec., 400mm telephoto lens with AstroZap white light filter, 6:18 PM, July 12, 2012 — “just before the clouds rolled in,” according to photographer James Guilford.

Truly memorable sunspot

Sunspot group AR1520 as it appeared July 11, 2012. Blame image softness on the photographer!

Hosting a group of kids from Camp Asbury church camp this morning, we were treated to the best views of sunspots I’ve ever had. Sunspot group AR1520 is absolutely enormous, dominating the face of the Sun and observing conditions were very good. We could see good detail within the sunspots and where they merged along with some hints of granulation. We viewed the Sun at about 30X and, later, at 139X through Stephens Memorial Observatory’s 112-year-old 9-inch refractor fitted with a white light solar filter. We had 15 day campers (grades 1-6) and seven staff for a total of 22 people. I'm sure at least a few of them will remember AR1520 and our grand, old telescope for a long time to come! In the front yard we had our little hydrogen-alpha telescope set up. The views were less impressive but, if the viewer knew just what to look for, there were many prominences visible around the Sun's limb; old Sol is really active this summer!

After the campers left I hauled out my camera and discovered I had the wrong direct-focus adapter (1.25-inch instead of 2-inch) with me and could not focus at all! So I removed a piece to shorten the distance to the camera's focal plane, focused as best I could, and hand-held the camera at the open telescope tube for a direct-focus image. A yellow filter is in place within the camera adapter to try and keep the sensor clean. The resulting image is soft, not doing justice to the telescope or the sunspots, but the view is impressive nonetheless; it’s a good representation of what we saw, which was truly amazing!

Image Notes: Canon Digital Rebel XT: ISO 400, 1/1000 sec., yellow filter; handheld direct-focus image using 3,327mm refracting telescope (Warner & Swasey, circa 1901) with white-light solar filter by AstroZap.

Worth the risk, this time!

Simulated view of Saturn and some of its moons as they appeared at 10:15 PM EDT, June 16, 2012. Image generated using "Gas Giants" for iPad.

The afternoon and evening of June 16 offered up skies that were mostly-cloudy to overcast. I thought there was little chance we would be able to provide Public Night visitors with views of Saturn at Stephens Memorial Observatory. I arrived at the appointed hour and the sky looked poor but, in the distance, there appeared to be clearing. Just as twilight grew dim enough for Saturn and neighboring Spica to appear, the clouds thinned. A little late, the celestial pair began to twinkle through the milky sky and, with the help of a sharp-eyed attendee, was able to aim the telescope and immediately get decent views. Starting at low power then, at last, boosting the magnification to 208X, those who ventured out under doubtful skies were rewarded with fine views of the ringed world. Sightings of moons were difficult though one or two could be spotted near Saturn. We spotted Rhea and Enceladus, as best I can determine, in the high-powered, narrow-angle view. Despite the sky conditions, Saturn shown through and many of the same features seen on the previous night could again be seen! There were glimpses of atmospheric banding, Saturn's shadow was seen on its rings, the "F" ring was visible against the planetary disk, and --this surprised me-- we were getting glimpses of the Cassini Division within the ring system. While the Saturday night sky was not as clear as Friday's, the seeing was steadier which made up for some of the deficiencies. Temperature was about 80 degrees F. Only eight visitors passed through our doors but everyone got very nice views of Saturn, 858 million miles distant, and left happy they took the chance on the sky. Sky conditions did not allow views of fainter objects. Saturn began to fade from view at about 10:30 as clouds thickened, no other visitors arrived, so we closed up.

Alumni stargazing

Saturn and Largest Moons - June 15, 2012 ~ 10 PM EDT. Simulation via "Gas Giants" iPad app.

It is Alumni Weekend at Hiram College this weekend and Friday night featured observing for attendees at Stephens Memorial Observatory. The first visitors arrived at our door during bright twilight and it was a good many minutes before Spica and nearby Saturn began to glimmer in the southern sky. There was a thin veil of cloud high above the region but, as night fell, the veil lifted and revealed decent views of the ringed world. About 27 alumni and family members took a look at Saturn and several of its moons over the course of the warm, 70+ degree evening. Though the seeing was not nearly so good as May's public session, it was still adequate to display the "F" Ring, Saturn's shadow falling across its rings, and hints of color cloud belts. We viewed at three different magnifications but visitors most enjoyed the detail that emerged in our new Brandon eyepieces, particularly 16mm optic that delivered 208X magnification. Common comments were: "Oh, wow!" and "Oh, that's a picture!" which are not unlike what we hear in public sessions. The crowd thinned out rapidly as folks drifted off to social functions but three stayed behind. The sky was dark and at its peak around 10:30 so I swung the big W&S refractor around to find M57 -- the Ring Nebula in Lyra. In short order I picked it up, an object I describe as a gray donut. One alum, in biology, said it reminded her of the shape of a red corpuscle of blood -- actually an apt comparison! We also took a look at Antares blazing away in constellation Scorpius, and open star cluster M4, nearby. Both were impressive and quietly beautiful. In fact, the view of M4 seemed better than some of my previous sightings with bright stars scattered across a bed of diamond dust and with a roughly oblong shape in the FOV. We noticed seeing was rapidly deteriorating and as I escorting our last guests out the door, we looked up -- a thicker veil of clouds was moving into the area. By 11:45 the sky was opaque again.

Transit of Venus

Monochrome Image of Sun, Sunspots, and Venus, June 5, 2012, 7:11 PM. Camera Info: Canon EOS 50D, 400mm lens, ISO 400, f/8, 1/1000 sec., white light film solar filter.

More than 105 people ranging in age from kindergartner to senior citizen took a look at the transit of Venus through telescopes I set up at the former site of the Hiram Elementary School near the Hiram College campus. The once-in-a-lifetime experience was nearly a washout as drizzle and overcast loomed over the area. I set up the telescope mounts in a light drizzle but kept the telescopes in the car - I was discouraged, nearly in despair, and believed we would see nothing. Just a few minutes after the astronomical event began at 6:04 PM, however, the clouds began to thin, then part, and clear views were enjoyed through the rest of the event! Sunset behind a row of trees ended the occasion at about 8:20.

Because I was the person setting up and focusing the telescopes, I got first view and, while I did not see Venus at its first moment of transit, I did observe it between first and second contact. I also observed the thin aureole of Venus's atmosphere as it bridged the solar limb!

I was gratified by the excited and appreciative audience and thanked all who attended the informal event. I had no idea the general public would be so thrilled at the sight of Venus and our Sun together!

People who looked through the three telescopes I set up were treated to different views of the same scene: through a Baader Herschel Wedge (green tint), through a Thousand Oaks orange filter, and through a Lunt solar telescope. In every telescope viewers could see the solid black disk of Venus floating starkly against the Sun. A good assortment of sunspots could also be seen, including web-like detail inside some of the larger marks. In the solar telescope, tuned to what is termed “hydrogen alpha” light, attendees could see solar prominences -- massive fountains of plasma towering thousands of miles above the Sun. Once people discovered that view, it became a favorite sight.

The photos were shot in moments between tending to the telescopes and informing viewers of what they were seeing. They were shot using a Canon 400mm lens with Baader solar film filter, and my Canon EOS 50D, at ISO 400, f/8, 1/1000 sec. What appears as grain is actually patterns in the photosphere - the visible surface of the Sun.

Prepping for the transit of Venus

I spent some time this morning experimenting with solar photography. On June 5, the transit of Venus will take place and since the next one after that won't happen for another 115 years, I thought I should try for this year's! I'm an impatient person. I discovered to my dismay that the very expensive, modern-design, Herschel Wedge won't work for photography with my "big" telescope -- the six-inch, 1,219mm Meade LXD75. I could not crank the camera "in" close enough to achieve focus with the wedge in place. Rats! I'm going to make quick queries to see what I can do to resolve the issue if I'm to use the wedge any time soon ... and June 5 is soon!  So with the telescope still set up in the mid-morning sunshine, I removed the wedge and covered the telescope's objective lens with the very inexpensive AstroZap filter made using Baader AstroSolar film. I connected my trusty (and light-weight) Canon Digital Rebel XT to the scope's eyepiece holder and made several bracketed exposures. Later I discovered the results were very good though not quite as good as shots made with my Canon EOS 50D and Canon 400mm telephoto. The difference in quality may be attributed to seeing conditions --the images were made days apart-- but either setup will do just fine for recording the upcoming historic celestial event. Now all we need is clear skies on that day!

Image Notes: Canon Digital Rebel XT attached to a Meade AR6 (1,219mm refractor) for prime-focus imaging, ISO 400, 1/2000 sec., image cropped and converted to monochrome. Solar filter: AstroZap white-light, film.

Saturn shines!

The day was warm and the sky was very clear on May 19. Of course, a thin veil of clouds began to cover the sky during twilight as I opened Stephens Memorial Observatory for a public night. We were to view Saturn. It wasn't until some time after 9:00 PM when Saturn and star Spica began to show through the twilight. Saturn did not disappoint and the view improved as darkness came. The sky also improved after dark. Rather than start with our beautiful but very low-power (about 30X) eyepiece I began running the telescope at 104X and received beautiful views of the ringed world, about a month past its opposition. Then I decided to try a 2-inch University Optics eyepiece that would deliver 222X and the view went from good to extraordinary. All evening long, along with 25 guests, enjoyed images of Saturn that included three moons (including Titan, fairly close in) colored cloud bands, the shadowy "C" ring against the planetary disk, and the Cassini Division! The crowd was lighter than expected so I had little else planned for the evening but for a look at rapidly-departing Mars. The Red Planet was disappointing as usual though, at 222X, there were hints that we might have made out a polar ice cap and some shadowy surface markings, but for unstable air that caused Mars's image to shimmer. So we stayed on Saturn for most of the rest of the time. After the final guests departed, I turned the big scope to the east and northeast to practice finding M13 and the Ring Nebula. A little fishing produced gorgeous views of M13 -- the great star cluster in constellation Hercules. The Ring (M57) was trickier to find but I got that too. The Ring looked far better at low magnification appearing dim and diffuse at 222X. M13 was stunning at both high and low magnification. I packed it in at about 11:30. We'll be able to show off Saturn and M13 with ease to guests on Friday of Alumni Weekend followed on Saturday by the June Public Night. I forgot to mention to visitors ... Saturday is named after the god Saturn -- it's "Saturn's Day."