20091130 Sun

Extremely poor seeing and transparency. The transparency has been so low that I even need to use 1/45s for surface detail, normally, I will use something like 1/400s! So, you see the difference. Seeing is poor at 2/10 as well, boiling disc edge.

1608 (GMT+8):-


1609 (GMT+8):-

20091129 Sun

Seeing 3/10, transparency 3/10. Hazy and poor seeing, it's not very common and it's the worst case. Silent sun, and so not much can be seen. Feels like a dirty light bulb without any detail except some minor detail near the bottom left.

1513 (GMT+8):-


1514 (GMT+8):-

20091128 Sun

Extremely poor seeing, the solar disc is boiling even at 480mm only, I would rate it like 1-2/10, transparency quite good at 6/10. Lack of detail today.

1434 (GMT+8), the small active region is going behind the visible side:-


1435 (GMT+8):-

20091125 DSLR Moon

Very poor seeing, like 1-2/10, transparency so-so at 4/10. Canon 450D video mode with Canon 100-400mm@400mm with Kenko 2x.

This lens could definitely do better, I shall try again when the condition of the sky improves.

20091123 Sun with a huge prominence

I expect this will be a short session like to follow up the active regions these days, but it turns out that there's something special... let's do the regular stuff first, seeing 5/10, transparency 6/10. Again, all taken with my Tele Vue Ranger with Solarmax 40 and BF10, DMK 31AF03 all tracked on a Meade LXD55, focusing was down with a NGF-CM. First two were taken with a reducer for full disc.

1449 (GMT+8):-


1450 (GMT+8):-

Originally, I thought it was some reflection on the computer screen or dust... you know, it's so big to be real, you see the loop at the lower left... I slew the mount a little bit and that loop follows... oh... I pulled out my 2x barlows and remove the reducer:-

1452 (GMT+8), we need to follow up the active regions first:-

1454 (GMT+8), hey this thing is dim... even at f/24, I'm pushing my setup as you could see the internal reflection gets pretty bright... yes, it's 1/8s exposure with very high gain:-


1456 (GMT+8), one more shot:-


1508 (GMT+8), and then I tried to rotate my Solarmax 40 in its adapter, in the hope to remove that internal reflection, actually, just to turn it to somewhere else so that the prominence can stay in the reflection free area of the filter, and I did it:-
I expect that there will be a huge active region lying down under? Let's see, but I just checked my calendar, I probably couldn't shoot in the few coming days... X(

20091123 Huge Prominence Alert!!!

It's the biggest that I've ever seen! Just a note and images will follow.

It's 2009-11-23 1458 (GMT+8).

Dim, oval shape loop, extremely big!

20091122 Sun

Back home rather late today, so the sun was sinking low already. Still caught the chance, the active regions were still around. Seeing 2/10, transparency 4/10 (it was pretty good overhead but the sun was sinking low).

Full disc shot with the reducer:-

1621 (GMT+8):-


1622 (GMT+8):-


Close up shots without the reducer plus a 2x barlows:-

1627 (GMT+8):-


1628 (GMT+8):-


1631 (GMT+8):-


1634 (GMT+8):-

20091121 Sun

It has been either busy or cloudy. It was cloudy this morning but then the sky cleared up just a few minutes ago, that's great! We have AR1033 around.

With reducer:-

1532 (GMT+8):-


1533 (GMT+8):-


1536 (GMT+8) with 2x:-


The setup:



I pulled out my Nagler 13mm Type 6 to have a look, what a sight!!!

20091107 Sun

Thin cloud scattering around and constrast was reduced greatly. Seeing 3/10, transparency 6/10. Low activity again.

1502 (GMT+8), captured with a DMK 31AF03:-


Canon 450D video mode capturing, surface detail at 1/320 ISO 100, prominences at 1/25s ISO 400.

(the results are too bad to keep, not to say to post)

20091106 Sun

There's some small scale activities on the surface, but prominence activity becomes low. Seeing 3/10, transparency 6/10.

1610 (GMT+8):-


1611 (GMT+8):-

20091105 Jupiter

Taken with my Canon 450D in video mode, Orion 100 ED f/9, seeing 3/10, transparency 5/10.

2116 (GMT+8), with 2x barlows, ISO 800 at 1/25s:-


2123 (GMT+8), with 5x Powermate, ISO 1600 at 1/15s:-


Feels like way too much compression in the AVI, hard to squeeze useful information.

20091102 Sun

Still lack in surface activities, but the prominences are pretty nice. I even pulled out my eyepiece to have a look :-)

1411 (GMT+8):-


1413 (GMT+8):-


While I'm adjusting my mount, I saw a plane passed through the solar disc! What a sight, but too bad that my camera was not recording.

20091101 Sun

Still silent, seeing 2/10, transparency 2/10.

1511 (GMT+8):-


1512 (GMT+8):-

20091031 Sun

Spotless again, seeing 3/10, transparency 3/10.

1604 (GMT+8):-


1605 (GMT+8):-


Firebird!

20091026 Sun

Very poor transparency today at 2/10, seeing 3/10. AR1029 can be seen in white light! Therefore, I pulled out my simple white light setup to have a shot first:

1525 (GMT+8), manual focus by looking into the view finder:-


1526 (GMT+8), autofocus by Live View contrast detection:-


My simple (lazy) white light setup consists of a Thousand Oaks Type 2+ Glass, Canon 450D with Canon 100-400mm at 400mm with Kenko 2x, handheld, spot metering.

And then I setup my H-alpha gear and it's definitely far more interesting. Again, taken with my Tele Vue Ranger with NGF-CM, Solarmax 40 with BF10, and DMK 31AF03. The full disc was taken with a reducer at the nosepiece of the BF10 and then the close up was taken with a Tele Vue 2x barlows:-

1547 (GMT+8):-


1548 (GMT+8):-


1553 (GMT+8), close up with 2x:-

20091024 Sun

Busy schedule together with lousy sky means no imaging. The sky was still hazy together and I'm still busy but yet, I need some short moments of relax and luckily, we have AR1029 around.

My usual setup: LXD55, Tele Vue Ranger with NGF-CM, Solarmax 40 with BF10, and then a DMK 31AF03, the close up were taken with a Tele Vue 2x barlows, and the full disc were taken with a reducer in the nosepiece of the BF10.

1547 (GMT+8):-


1548 (GMT+8):-


Closeup, 1552 (GMT+8):-


1553 (GMT+8):-


1555 (GMT+8), I found this prominence group very interesting:-

20091012 Sun

It's cloudy today, I just take the short moment which I can penetrate the thinner cloud by overexposure.



Taken with my usual setup. The sun has moved into a good position from inside my home, I've removed that long extension plate after this session since I can point to the sun from insde my home without it. More stability from now on.

Stuff for sales

I prefer local (Hong Kong) sales except the Herschel wedge which could be shipped.

1. Orion 100ED f/9 OTA with rings ($3888)

- Superb optical quality, the tube is not very long and it "fits" into a tripod bad which I will include in the deal. I usually unscrew the lens with its cell to store separately.

2. Unistar Light mount ($1500)

- With less than 2kg in weight, it supports even a C8 up to around 100x (stable!), the ultimate portable visual mount, 3/8" thread

3. 1.25" APM Herschel wedge with B+W ND3 and Polarizer ($1999)

- The best you can get for white light solar imaging, period.

All prices are listed in HKD, please contact me if interested.

20091004 Jupiter with Canon 100-400mm f4.5-5.6L

Yes, I am not joking, I just did it. Conventional snapshot won't work, and instead, I have used the software EOS Camera Movie Record so that I can take short video clip and then do stacking. The native 400mm focal length is very little for Jupiter and thus I've added a Kenko 2x into the optical path to get 800mm. Yes, 800mm is still little but then that's what I can do at this moment. f/11 is not pushing the optics for planet imaging and we usually use f/20 or more. Anyway, it's just a start.



Not bad, right?

20091004 Sun

There is a very interesting prominence today, nothing else.

1605 (GMT+8), with reducer:-


1606 (GMT+8), with reducer:-


1611 (GMT+8), with 2x barlows:-