by Michael Swartz
The sun didn't have too many prominences or filaments really but there were six spot groups that were scattered across the front of the solar disk. They formed sort of a jagged line across the lower middle of the sun. I've read that sun spots will tend to form either above the solar equator or below depending on where it is in the sunspot cycle. So this particular configuration of sunspots very neatly underlined what would likely be the solar equator. And upon observing this and figuring that the axis would be perpendicular to the equator it was very obvious to me yesterday that the suns axis was at an angle relative to my point of view. I had never really seen that so clearly before.
There was a particularly impressive amount of turbulence around the larger spot groups that were positioned on opposite sides of the sun. One side showed some very bright faculae around the spot. The brightness seemed to vary in intensity a few times. I suspect that there may have been a flare happening there.
Well, that's it for today. I hope to see you next time.
Posted on sf-bay-tac Oct 22, 2004 11:53:54 PT
Converted by report.pm 1.2 Jan 16, 2005 08:10:07 PT