2011 08 12 – NOAAs 11269, 11270, 11266
Sketch created scope-side with black Strathmore Artagain paper, Conte’ pastel crayon, Prang color pencil, black oil pencil.
With Perseids taking front center stage, I almost feel like I’m rooting for the underdog by solar observing. This is compounded by the fact that the Sun is spotless today (8/14/11) as if to counteract the full Moon during the peak of the Perseids over the weekend. Regardless, I’ll take a bit of time behind my Maxscope any day.
If anyone would like a peak at the Perseid numbers reported thus far, check out the IMO site: Perseids 2011: visual data quicklook.
The other day, I posted a few of the major areas of prominence on the limb from 2011 08 12 Solar Prominences. One was near AR 1266 and the other was near AR 1270. The one on the eastern edge was more compact width-wise but very bright and dense to the southern edge. It changed quite a bit and seemed to grow in height over the course of my session. There were very faint tendrils of plasma reaching across to the northern denser section of that area.
The area of prominence on the western limb was tricky to catch in the form of sketch as it moved quickly and was very wide. It reached a span of about 35 degrees or more.
The showstoppers, in my opinion, were the numerous filaments across the disk in both hemispheres but especially the northern. The three active regions were very evident with the amount of plage. Adjustments in the etalons were made to bring various features in and out of view in an effort to wring the most detail out of the session.
I joined Twitter today. It wasn’t something I planned on doing, but with a little encouragement from a brother-in-law, I decided to join on a whim. One of my first searches was for SDO (yeah, I’m so predictable). For grins, as well as for those of you that haven’t really spent much time with the Sun, here are a few fun links that SDO tweeted.
Just think. The Sun is an average star formed about 4.6 billion years ago. Although it is the center of our solar system, it is only one star in our galaxy that contains hundreds of billions of stars. Then think about all the other galaxies out there in the universe. Amazing how we can get caught up in our own little worlds when we’re such a minute existence in the grand scheme of things.
PCW Memorial Observatory - Erika Rix 