The Sun on June 17, 2024
June 17, 2024
Tags: Solar Astronomy, Astronomy, H-alpha Solar Astronomy, Astrophotography, Photography
WARNING: When observing the Sun, be sure to do so safely! Use only equipment that is designed specifically for that purpose and is produced by reputable manufacturers. Follow their directions closely. Do not improvise your own filter material for solar observing. If you are careless, you risk instant and permanent vision loss or injury.
It was a beautiful day for me to slip out into the backyard and have a look at the Sun. Contrary to my usual habit of getting myself out closer to solar noon—the more the Sun heats the ground and air, the worse the seeing gets—I set up my solar observing gear while it was still pleasantly cool this morning.
In white light, the photosphere featured some nice sunspot regions near the meridian including an arc-shaped one furthest from the solar equator.
In H-alpha, the chromosphere showed less impressive sunspot activity, which is normal. Prominence and filament activity was certainly there but not spectacular by any means.
Even as we approach maximum solar activity, the Sun does ebb and flow in terms of how much action there is to observe. It seems that, today, there was certainly more ebb than flow going on.