2010 04 29 H-alpha
Blast from the past in 2010
2010 April 29, 1449 – 1551 UT
Solar h-alpha
PCW Memorial Observatory, Zanesville, Ohio USA – Erika Rix
DS 60mm Maxscope, LXD75, 21-7mm Zhumell
H-alpha sketch created scopeside with black Canson paper, white Conte’ crayon and pencil, white Prang watercolor pencil, Derwent charcoal pencil, black oil pencil.
Temp: 18.5°C-22.7°C, Humidity 40%-30%
Seeing: Wilson 4-3.5, Transparency: 4/6-1.5/6
Clear to 100% light overcast, Alt: 47.8-57.5, Az: 115.9-135
The skies looked terrific first thing this morning, but I spent too much of my morning off cleaning house. By the time I got out there, I could see some thin cirrus making its way across the southwestern skies.
The limb features were many, even if they were pretty small. The brightest were scattered along the western and northeastern limbs. The filaments put on a good show today and plage had to be teased out. The exception to that last remark was the area of a hooked filament with two circular plage areas just outside of it. Those two round, bright areas stood out like a pair of eyes blinking at me.
The shallow-curved filament to the western limb had very bright plage that ran along it’s edges, about doubled the filament’s width. Around that area, it looked like faint brush strokes of darker contrast reaching out from it. I can only assume those faint, darker wisps are extended portions of that crisp filament. If so, it should put on a decent show within the nest couple of days.
Finally, the skies became overcast and I had to stop the observation. Still, it was a great morning with my observing buddy, Riser.
PCW Memorial Observatory - Erika Rix 