Amidst our morning deluge, some solar updates!!

Yesterday, 2/22 was sunny after 9:00 am in San Jose, and I brought out the H Alpha solar setup for a view of the sun.

Its been a while since last use, but its like riding a bike, you don't forget. Using a magnification of 50x, began examining the solar limb at 10:00 am local time. At 4 places around the limb there was significant activity. At one o'clock a loop prominence was in the process of collapsing, with the upper half of the loop being "blown" or moved to one side, giving the loop a disjointed appearance. At 4 o'clock a quiescent (little moving) prominence of considerable size. While I take notes and small sketches, I dub some of these with names, as is my habit, kind of like the way JPL named all those rocks near the pathfinder lander for reference and easier memorizing. This second prominence I called Ayer's rock since it looked a lot like the blunt, rolling landform jutting from the flat outback as seen in so many travel brochures.

At 7 to 8 , a variety of small spikes and one large one, almost 3 arc min long. Spikes are enough names for these. Finally, some minor spikes at 10 to 11 o'clock, and on to the disk details. A major prominence silhouetted against the disk at a position 2/3 way from center to north pole. A BIG sunspot with a very dark renumbra at the western edge, sited just under that big 3' spike, looking like it would soon rotate out of view. This spot must have been naked eye, since it was very big even at the edge. above it and further in, a nice complex group of spots with thier archipelago of bright and dark swirls and clumps. This takes almost 15 minutes to sketch, and by the time it is done, I am erasing and revising it to add a small flare that crops up in the gap between two of the spots.

Getting details is a matter of looking again and again, so I take time and get more looks at the features to see if changes start and to glean more details. Ayers rock stays very constant and unmoving. The spike breaks off its tip at 11:00 pm. The loop continues to flatten, the small flare dies away. The view of prominences requires dark adaptation in daylight, so a hood is used. I do the observing at a secluded spot to avoid sanity checks from passersby. Only interruptions from local animals, mostly cats. The H Alpha device has a "sweet spot" a upper corner that has better contrast, so all the features are scanned through this region again and again for a view. 100x is tried, and the seeing supports it, but thats about the limit for today. A small anvil shaped projection appears next to the collapsing loop. It is as bright as the disk. Clouded out at 12:00 noon and the rain begins as I step back into the house after storing the scope. The mottling and granulation of the disk was apparent, but is too complex to draw, of course. I finish out the notes and sketches as the rain pounds down outside. It is clear again by 2:00 but the sun is now behind a treeline from my viewing spot. The sun is definitely getting active as we enter cycle number 23. Under the drenching of this season I find it hard to believe that the maximum is predicted as being just 2 years away give or take 12 months.