Hi all
The sun is beginning to show some activity in white light, or when using the Baader Solar Continuum Filter, green light.
There are three centres of spot activity scattered across the surface, 2816, 2817 and 2818. 2816, sitting in the centre of the sun, is a collection of a single large spot with three smaller companions and three smaller spots again. 2817 consists of a pair of unequal sized spots. 2818, just coming aorund the limb, is a single spot system. All three systems display the classic sunspot features, umbra and penumbra, with 2816 showing some filaments in the penumbra. Close to 2818, I was able to detect some prominent plage, standing out white against the darker background.
With luck, this will be the beginning to more solar activity in the years to come.
I observed with my 120mm f/8.3 refractor stepped down to 50mm, f/20 and the Baader Solar Continuum filter.
Paul
Programming today is a race between software engineers striving to build bigger and better programs, and the universe trying to produce bigger and better idiots. So far, the universe is winning.
Rich Cook
