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Orpington Astronomical Society

Astronomy => Astrophotography => Topic started by: Carole on Jun 24, 2015, 14:27:13

Title: Huge sunspots AR2371
Post by: Carole on Jun 24, 2015, 14:27:13
The first image I have done from home since February, and the first solar image I have done for a couple of years.
Sold my PST as I wasn't using it to help fund my Atik460, so I am back to white light.

We did an outreach event at a school yesterday and between the clouds we saw these stonking great sunspots, so it gave me the urge to try to capture them when I got home.  Presume these have been responsible for the recent CME and aurora.

HEQ5 and ED120 - Baader filter
This was using Mick's imaging source DBK that I bought, so image in honour of Mick.

75% of 1500 frames 30 fps. 

(http://cdn.astrobin.com/images/thumbs/1fad69065f8d94ab906d60be21ad403b.1824x0_q100_watermark.jpg)

Carole
Title: Re: Huge sunspots AR2371
Post by: Kenny on Jun 27, 2015, 14:29:36
Wow, fantastic detail! Nice close up.
Title: Re: Huge sunspots AR2371
Post by: Carole on Jun 27, 2015, 18:31:38
Thanks Kenny.

Carole
Title: Re: Huge sunspots AR2371
Post by: Fay on Jun 27, 2015, 23:00:54
Great picture Carole!
Title: Re: Huge sunspots AR2371
Post by: Carole on Jun 27, 2015, 23:30:07
Thanks Fay.  Don't often have the urge to image the Sun but when I saw how huge they were I just had to have a go at them.

Carole
Title: Re: Huge sunspots AR2371
Post by: The Thing on Jun 28, 2015, 08:09:00
Really nice Carole. Some fine detail. What did you use to process the AVI?
Title: Re: Huge sunspots AR2371
Post by: Carole on Jun 28, 2015, 09:27:50
Thanks Duncan,

I used Registax and a light use of wavelets, then into Photoshop.
I also did some AVIs with my DMK for comparison, but there was no better definition, and there were absolutely loads of dust bunnies on the screen.  Since I was using the same scope and same telescope adapter and IR filter as I used with the DBK it must be dust on the sensor as I didn't have the same problem with the DBK camera.  So as the sensitivity didn't seem any better I didn't bother to process the DMK AVIs. 

I also did flats with the DMK in an attempt to remove said dust, but Registax would not recognise the Flats AVI's, do I have to convert the image type and perhaps load it as a Jpeg or something?  Never done flats with an AVI before - how did you guess lol?

Carole
Title: Re: Huge sunspots AR2371
Post by: MarkS on Jun 28, 2015, 10:01:06
Very nice indeed!  Were they the sunspots that caused the Aurora?

BTW, the Aurora was actually photographed from Ashford (in the local paper) so I'm extra annoyed that all I saw was cloud   :!
Title: Re: Huge sunspots AR2371
Post by: Carole on Jun 28, 2015, 10:50:22
Thanks, yes they were Mark.  How annoying about the aurora.

Carole
Title: Re: Huge sunspots AR2371
Post by: Rick on Jun 28, 2015, 11:17:50
A matter of being lucky with gaps in the cloud, I guess. That active sunspot group has produced quite a bit of activity, both CMEs and flares:

https://www.nasa.gov/feature/earth-directed-cme-lights-the-skies
https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/sun-unleashes-mid-level-flare
https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/sdo-sees-mid-level-solar-flare
http://sdo.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery/potw/item/637
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