Solar lunch by Borders 12/20

by Michael Swartz


The sky looked bad on the way there. fog still lingering around Milpitas. Fog in Milpitas? I was getting depressed as I got closer to McCarthy Ranch. When I got there it still didn't look good. I went and get my Taco Bell lunch and then found a nice parking space. I got out, with some hesitation I opened my trunk and looked around. It wasn't promising but I thought. I have to commit! Maybe then the skies will part and I can see the sun.

So I began setting up my gear. No sooner did I put the eyepieces in my binoviewers did I suddenly feel the heat of the sun on my neck. A miracle? I don't know.. but I quickly pointed my scope at the sun and enjoyed some really nice prominences and filaments. The sun spot I watched yesterday had split in two. There were two long filaments and the longer of the two had to be at least 200,000 miles long.

I was there from 12:00pm to 2:00pm and the clouds thinned about 6 times. I got some nice views. And maybe a dozen people stopped when the seeing was good and had views of the sun that filled them with questions and comments of awe and amazement.

It was fun.


Posted on sf-bay-tac Dec 21, 2004 00:05:09 PT
Converted by report.pm 1.2 Jan 24, 2005 19:41:29 PT