This is still image from a video of a spotty Sun taken on 16 May 2004. It was an image from a series of test images using an old discarded webcam. The webcam was going to be used for the Transit of Venus, but due to cloud it was never deployed. The resolution of the image is not great, but the sunspots are textbook with a dark centre (umbra) surrounded by the lighter penumbra. Around the sunspot at the very bottom limb a lighter area can be seen. I like this image because it very much shows the scale of things on the sun.

I used a very old RGB type webcam with a Belkin USB video bus, version I. It was fitted to my Helios Startravel 102, with Baader Solar Filter, and stopped down to f22.

Maarten

Sunspot 0756 taken on 30 April 2005 at 1740h BST (1640h UT) afocally using a 15mm Plossl eyepiece on a 114mm reflector telescope with a Baader foil sun filter.

Camera settings were ISO 100, f/4.2, 1/15sec, manual focus. The image was processed using Adobe Photoshop CS.

This sunspot group is about 5 times wider than the Earth.

www.astrophotos.plus.com

I made this photo of the partial solar eclipse from the garden of our holiday cottage in Aberlemno in Angus on 3 October 2005 at around the maximum. The sky was excellent with the exception of a few contrails and a very slight haze. I made this image using a Minolta Dimage s404 digital camera on maximum zoom through one of the lenses of Baader Exclipse Glasses.

Maarten

Taken at 10.06 when the partial eclipse was near maximum using a Nikon Coolpix 5000, TeleVue 101mm f5.4 APO refractor (Petzval), TeleVue 14mm Radian eyepiece, Astro Engineering Herschel Wedge and polariser. A quick trigger finger minimised scudding clouds.

Andy Ferguson

Great disk detail on this image by Bill taken on 4th Atpril. Notice the waterfall prominence on the right side of the disc! There is a faint filament amongst the sunspots too.

Taken with Nikon Coolpix 950, through Helios 20mm Plossl, Coronado PST, on motor driven Astro-3 equatorial mount. The disc details were produced by stacking 20 images using Astrostack, each one 1/275 sec at f/6.6 (auto exposure), the prominences from 5 exposures aligned and merged using Photoshop, each one 1/40 sec at f/6.6, overexposed by 2 stops. The disc and prominence images were combined and colorized using Photoshop.

Bill Leslie

Another solar image taken using a Coronado Hydrogen Alpha PST telescope and digital camera (Coolpix 950). No sunspots showing but there are several prominences and some obvious filaments too. Just goes to show, even at sunspot minimum there is still plenty to see of the face of our closest star.

Multiple images stacked using Astrostack software and further editing done using Photoshop. Telescope and camera mounted on motor driven Astro 3 equatorial mount.

Bill Leslie

Snapped at the 2nd HAS BBQ on Saturday 10th June, this picture of the Sun shows just how simple astrophotography can be. Equipment used was a Skywatcher 6" f8 Dobsonian reflector with Baader Solar Filter, Canon EOS10D digital camera, and settings were 1/60th sec at 200ASA.

Several groups of small sunspots visible as well as the limb darkening effect. The Sun was definately out that day. Sometimes great pictures can be taken on the spur of the moment with basic equipment.

JR

Captured on 8th November using a Coronado PST Hydrogen Alpha scope and Starlight Express SXV7CM colour CCD. 1000th second exposure with two double stacked ND4 filters and a magnimax attached to the camera front. The image was then split into two, with one being processed to capture the prominence detail, and the other processed to get the Sun's disc detail, both in Astroart. The two were then re-combined using Photoshop, giving the final picture above.

JR

4th May 2007 Sun, with two double stacked 0.4 Neutral Density filters on the end of a PST and 1000 sec. with a Starlight express camera.

Captured in Astroart and edited in both Astroart and Paintshop Pro.
Picture added on 13 May 2007.

JR

This was taken using Bill's new replacement Hydrogen Alpha PST (Personal Solar Telescope). He describes it as just a quick shot, with 20 images stacked in Registax4 and some wavelets added. He then used Photoshop to bring out the prominences and adjusted the disc to enhance the detail.

(So that's a quickie eh? Can't wait to see one he spends some time and effort on....! -Ant)

Faint arching prominence seen earlier today through PST Hydrogen alpha telescope. The image is a stack of 10 x 1/20th Second exposures taken with a Canon PowerShot S45.