Embedded Files
The image on the above was made with AviStack using 1000 frames. The video was taken on the last day of the project with my LN-300 video camera while mounted on a Coronado PST and 2.5x PowerMate. All things considered, I think it turned out pretty well and it shows how much I learned completing the program.
Background: My primary interest in Hydrogen Alpha solar viewing came from daily three hour solar sessions during my AstroVIP work at Glacier National Park during July 2013 using a Coronado 60mm SolarMax II scope. We averaged over two hundred twenty five visitors daily viewing the sun via white light and hydrogen alpha. On one of my days off I tried to do some solar imaging. I was frustrated by my lack of ability to focus using the SolarMax due to not enough in focus and was determined to solve the problem. Using a 2x barlow got close, but not close enough. Upon returning home I checked out ASEM's PST and experimented to solve the problem. The images below are the result of the efforts. When the Astronomical League's Hydrogen Alpha Programs was announced at the August 2013 ASEM meeting I was determined to find and complete the requirements. The ability to image the sun was a plus. I officially started the program on August 20, 2013 but had spent a bit of time prior to that date becoming familiar with the operation of the PST on various mounts with various cameras.
All data was collected from my driveway at home using ASEM's Coronado PST, my iOptron SmartEQ Pro mount, and either a Canon T2i or AstroVideo Systems modified LN-300 camera. In order for the T2i to achieve focus the optics (no spacer) of a Celestron 2x Omni Barlow was attached to the front of a 1.25" nosepiece and T-mount adapter. In some cases ASEM's 2.5x PowerMate was used to increase magnification for disk or prominence detail. All T2i images were captured and saved as RAW files. I also experimented with capturing data with the LN-300 low light security camera and stacking the results. Due to the small chip in the camera a full solar disk required at least two videos to be processed with RegiStax and combined in PhotoShop (see image at left). Getting the images to match and balance in PhotoShop was a nightmare and I generally opted for the DSLR single image route for the full solar disk images below. I selected examples for the disk and prominence details that best showed the feature utilizing results from both the DSLR and video camera. Canon's DPP is Digital Photo Professional a companion piece of software provided on a CD with my T2i. The program has a variety of features including the ability to manipulate exposure, color balance, contrast, color profile, curves, etc for Canon RAW files. It also is used to convert RAW files to either tifs or jpgs. It was used to process the RAW images.
Requirement#1:
The first set is 20 or more sketches or images of the whole solar disk during two solar rotations (one rotation is about 30 days). Only the main features need to be drawn: filaments, plages, flares, and sunspot umbra. The penumbra may be omitted since it has lower contrast in H-alpha than in white light.
Note: I'm red/green color blind and red is always an adventure!
Set 1: Full Solar Disk
Data and Notes:
The program's website outlines the Seeing and Transparency scales used for this daytime solar viewing. North is to the right and west is down.
Day: 1 Date: 8/20/2013
Location: Chesterfield, MO
Time: 9:18 AM CDT
Seeing (x/5): 2/5
Transparency (x/4): 3/4
Telescope: Coronado PST
Aperture/FL: 40mm/400mm
Double Stacked?: no
Rotation: 2140
Sunspot Number: 63
Image Specifications:
Camera: Canon T2i
Exposure Time: 1/60th
ISO: 200
Imaging Software:
Canon DPP - filter application, contrast adjustment, color temperature adjustment, conversion to TIF
PhotoShop
Number of Images Stacked: 1 (but two versions of the same image combined--see below)
Notes:
First try ever on solar that worked. I spent three hours this summer (2013) at Glacier National Park as an AstroVIP using the NPS SolarMax 60mm. I couldn't achieve focus. Today I found that the Barlow optics mentioned above made the difference. Today fourteen different exposures were tried and this one looked the best on the computer screen. I used Canon's Digital Photo Professional to make two tifs from the RAW file with the color temperature set to 10,000K, contrast set at maximum, and sharpness increased. One was at - 2 stops for the disk and the other 0 stops for prominences. The two were combined with a bit of resizing in PhotoShop. PhotoShop was also used to boost contrast, crop, sharpen, and save as a jpg. The final image looks a bit too dark, but you can't see detail if it is lighter. The B&W image was inserted later after some decisions explained below were made.
Focusing is very difficult in the camera's viewfinder or LCD due to reflected daylight. I'll need to make a sun screen for the PST. Tomorrow I'll investigate focusing on a laptop screen.
Day: 2 Date: 8/21/2013
Location: Chesterfield, MO
Time: 10:42 AM CDT
Seeing (x/5): 3/5
Transparency (x/4): 3/4
Telescope: Coronado PST
Aperture/FL: 40mm/400mm
Double Stacked?: no
Rotation: 2140
Sunspot Number: 75
Image Specifications:
Camera: Canon T2i
Exposure Time: 1/80
ISO: 400
Imaging Software:
DSLR Remote Pro - focusing and exposure
Canon DPP - filter application, contrast adjustment, color temperature adjustment, RAW conversion to TIF
PhotoShop
Images Stacked: 1 (but two versions of the same image combined)
Notes:
Same as day 1 except 35 exposures taken with the best processed. Focusing on the laptop screen had issues with glare and reflections, but it seemed better than using just the camera.
I thought I'd see what it looks like in B&W. The color is prettier, but the detail looks better from a decolorized PhotoShop version on the right. After the fact, I realize the T2i has the ability to set up different color profiles, one of which is B&W. I should investigate taking the images in B&W.
Day: 3 Date: 8/22/2013
Location: Chesterfield, MO
Time: 8:50 AM CDT
Seeing (x/5): 3/5
Transparency (x/4): 2/4
Telescope: Coronado PST
Aperture/FL: 40mm/400mm
Double Stacked?: no
Rotation: 2140
Sunspot Number: 60
Image Specifications:
Camera: Canon T2i
Exposure Time: 1/100
ISO: 200
Imaging Software:
DSLR Remote Pro - focusing and exposure
Canon DPP - filter application, contrast adjustment, color temperature adjustment, RAW conversion to TIF
PhotoShop
Images Stacked: 1 (but two versions of the same image combined)
Notes:
Thin high clouds and not too much detail on the surface. Only B&W for the rest of the project because I can see the detail better there vs. color. I'll make the exposures using a B&W profile on the camera with boosted contrast. Focusing looks to be much easier with the B&W profile too. Since the images are saved in RAW format the color information is still intact in the original even though it appears to be B&W. Conversion to a tif or jpg discards the color information but I can always recolor with PhotoShop.
Day: 8
Date: 8/27/2013
Location: Chesterfield, MO
Time: 9:11 AM CDT
Seeing (x/5): 2/5
Transparency (x/4): 3/4
Telescope: Coronado PST
Aperture/FL: 40mm/400mm
Double Stacked?: no
Rotation: 2140
Sunspot Number: 61
Image Specifications:
Camera: Canon T2i
Exposure Time: 1/60th & 1/30th
ISO: 800
Imaging Software:
DSLR Remote Pro - --focusing & exposure
Canon DPP - filter application, contrast adjustment, color temperature adjustment, RAW conversion to TIF
Tufuse - Image fusion
Images Stacked: 2
Notes:
Trying something different today. Rather than combine images with PhotoShop and worry about resizing the disc to fit over the prominences, I'm going to combine different exposures via image fusion using TuFuse. I'll need to make sure the two exposures are taken close together to prevent solar movement. I've also discovered that if I put my laptop inside the rear of my minivan it is darker and there are less reflections on the screen making focusing easier.
The "green" filter setting was used to make two overexposed RAW files with monochrome profile. Leak from the overexposed images gave signal on the green channel that had a good deal of "pop." Digital Photo Pro was use to make two tifs, one for the prominences and the other for the disk. The two images were combined with Tufuse.
It is much easier to focus using a B&W image profile from the camera.
Watch the sunspot around 4:30 in the next few frames to get an idea of which way the run rotates.
Day: 9
Date: 8/28/2013
Location: Chesterfield, MO
Time: 11:56 AM CDT
Seeing (x/5): 3/5
Transparency (x/4): 3/4
Telescope: Coronado PST
Aperture/FL: 40mm/400mm
Double Stacked?: no
Rotation: 2140
Sunspot Number: 44
Image Specifications:
Camera: Canon T2i
Exposure Time: 1/60th & 1/30th
ISO: 800
Imaging Software:
DSLR Remote Pro - --focusing & exposure
Canon DPP - filter application, contrast adjustment, color temperature adjustment, RAW conversion to TIF
Tufuse - Image fusion
Images Stacked: 2
Notes: Same as above
Day: 10
Date: 8/29/2013
Location: Chesterfield, MO
Time: 12:58 PM CDT
Seeing (x/5): 2/5
Transparency (x/4): 2/4
Telescope: Coronado PST
Aperture/FL: 40mm/400mm
Double Stacked?: no
Rotation: 2140
Sunspot Number: 55
Image Specifications:
Camera: Canon T2i
Exposure Time: 1/60th & 1/30th
ISO: 800
Imaging Software:
DSLR Remote Pro - --focusing & exposure
Canon DPP - filter application, contrast adjustment, color temperature adjustment, RAW conversion to TIF
Tufuse - Image fusion
Images Stacked: 2
Notes: Same as above
Day: 11
Date: 8/30/2013
Location: Chesterfield, MO
Time: 9:12 AM CDT
Seeing (x/5): 3/5
Transparency (x/4): 3/4
Telescope: Coronado PST
Aperture/FL: 40mm/400mm
Double Stacked?: no
Rotation: 2140
Sunspot Number: 62
Image Specifications:
Camera: Canon T2i
Exposure Time: 1/60th & 1/30th
ISO: 800
Imaging Software:
DSLR Remote Pro - --focusing & exposure
Canon DPP - filter application, contrast adjustment, color temperature adjustment, RAW conversion to TIF
Tufuse - Image fusion
Images Stacked: 2
Notes: Same as above
Day: 12
Date: 8/31/2013
Location: Chesterfield, MO
Time: 9:12 AM CDT
Seeing (x/5): 2/5
Transparency (x/4): 2/4
Telescope: Coronado PST
Aperture/FL: 40mm/400mm
Double Stacked?: no
Rotation: 2140
Sunspot Number: 60
Image Specifications:
Camera: Canon T2i
Exposure Time: 1/60th & 1/30th
ISO: 800
Imaging Software:
DSLR Remote Pro - --focusing & exposure
Canon DPP - filter application, contrast adjustment, color temperature adjustment, RAW conversion to TIF
Tufuse - Image fusion
Images Stacked: 2
Notes: Same as above
Day: 14
Date: 9/2/2013
Location: Chesterfield, MO
Time: 8:30 AM CDT
Seeing (x/5): 3/5
Transparency (x/4): 2/4
Telescope: Coronado PST
Aperture/FL: 40mm/400mm
Double Stacked?: no
Rotation: 2141
Sunspot Number: 84
Image Specifications:
Camera: Canon T2i
Exposure Time: 1/60th & 1/30th
ISO: 800
Imaging Software:
DSLR Remote Pro - --focusing & exposure
Canon DPP - filter application, contrast adjustment, color temperature adjustment, RAW conversion to TIF
Tufuse - Image fusion
Images Stacked: 2
Notes: Same as above
Day: 15
Date: 9/3/2013
Location: Chesterfield, MO
Time: 9:00 AM CDT
Seeing (x/5): 2/5
Transparency (x/4): 3/4
Telescope: Coronado PST
Aperture/FL: 40mm/400mm
Double Stacked?: no
Rotation: 2141
Sunspot Number: 74
Image Specifications:
Camera: Canon T2i
Exposure Time: 1/60th & 1/30th
ISO: 800
Imaging Software:
DSLR Remote Pro - --focusing & exposure
Canon DPP - filter application, contrast adjustment, color temperature adjustment, RAW conversion to TIF
Tufuse - Image fusion
Images Stacked: 2
Notes: Same as above.
Day: 18
Date: 9/6/2013
Location: Chesterfield, MO
Time: 8:33 AM CDT
Seeing (x/5): 2/5
Transparency (x/4): 3/4
Telescope: Coronado PST
Aperture/FL: 40mm/400mm
Double Stacked?: no
Rotation: 2141
Sunspot Number: 41
Image Specifications:
Camera: Canon T2i
Exposure Time: 1/60th & 1/30th
ISO: 800
Imaging Software:
DSLR Remote Pro - --focusing & exposure
Canon DPP - filter application, contrast adjustment, color temperature adjustment, RAW conversion to TIF
Tufuse - Image fusion
Images Stacked: 2
Notes: Same as above
Day: 21
Date: 9/9/2013
Location: Chesterfield, MO
Time: 12:53 PM CDT
Seeing (x/5): 2/5
Transparency (x/4): 3/4
Telescope: Coronado PST
Aperture/FL: 40mm/400mm
Double Stacked?: no
Rotation: 2141
Sunspot Number: 13
Image Specifications:
Camera: Canon T2i
Exposure Time: 1/60th & 1/30th
ISO: 800
Imaging Software:
DSLR Remote Pro - --focusing & exposure
Canon DPP - filter application, contrast adjustment, color temperature adjustment, RAW conversion to TIF
Tufuse - Image fusion
Images Stacked: 2
Notes: Same as above with thin high clouds
I'm going to stop labeling directions in the images from now on. North is towards the right of the frame and west is to the bottom. The PST is on an equatorial mount and the camera is always mounted square to the PST. The directions are not going to change and the images look cleaner without the north and west labels.
Notes: Same as above
Day: 22
Date: 9/10/2013
Location: Chesterfield, MO
Time: 8:38 AM CDT
Seeing (x/5): 2/5
Transparency (x/4): 3/4
Telescope: Coronado PST
Aperture/FL: 40mm/400mm
Double Stacked?: no
Rotation: 2141
Sunspot Number: 41
Image Specifications:
Camera: Canon T2i
Exposure Time: 1/60th & 1/30th
ISO: 800
Imaging Software:
DSLR Remote Pro - --focusing & exposure
Canon DPP - filter application, contrast adjustment, color temperature adjustment, RAW conversion to TIF
Tufuse - Image fusion
Images Stacked: 2
Notes: Same as above
Day: 25
Date: 9/13/2013
Location: Chesterfield, MO
Time: 8:21 AM CDT
Seeing (x/5): 4/5
Transparency (x/4): 2/4
Telescope: Coronado PST
Aperture/FL: 40mm/400mm
Double Stacked?: no
Rotation: 2141
Sunspot Number: 58
Image Specifications:
Camera: Canon T2i
Exposure Time: 1/60th & 1/30th
ISO: 800
Imaging Software:
DSLR Remote Pro - --focusing & exposure
Canon DPP - filter application, contrast adjustment, color temperature adjustment, RAW conversion to TIF
Tufuse - Image fusion
Images Stacked: 2
Notes: Same as above
Day: 26
Date: 9/14/2013
Location: Chesterfield, MO
Time: 8:50 AM CDT
Seeing (x/5): 1/5\
Transparency (x/4): 4/4
Telescope: Coronado PST\
Aperture/FL: 40mm/400mm
Double Stacked?: no
Rotation: 2141
Sunspot Number: 40
Image Specifications:
Camera: Canon T2i
Exposure Time: 1/60th & 1/30th
ISO: 800
Imaging Software:
DSLR Remote Pro - --focusing & exposure
Canon DPP - filter application, contrast adjustment, color temperature adjustment, RAW conversion to TIF
Tufuse - Image fusion
Images Stacked: 2
Notes: Same as above
Day: 33
Date: 9/21/2013
Location: Chesterfield, MO
Time: 8:40 AM CDT
Seeing (x/5): 2/5
Transparency (x/4): 3/4
Telescope: Coronado PST
Aperture/FL: 40mm/400mm
Double Stacked?: no
Rotation: 2141
Sunspot Number: 85
Image Specifications:
Camera: Canon T2i
Exposure Time: 1/60th & 1/30th
ISO: 800
Imaging Software:
DSLR Remote Pro - --focusing & exposure
Canon DPP - filter application, contrast adjustment, color temperature adjustment, RAW conversion to TIF
Tufuse - Image fusion
Images Stacked: 2
Notes: Same as above
Day: 34
Date: 9/22/2013
Location: Chesterfield, MO
Time: 9:26 AM CDT
Seeing (x/5): 3/5
Transparency (x/4): 3/4
Telescope: Coronado PST
Aperture/FL: 40mm/400mm
Double Stacked?: no
Rotation: 2141
Sunspot Number: 49
Image Specifications:
Camera: Canon T2i
Exposure Time: 1/60th & 1/30th
ISO: 800
Imaging Software:
DSLR Remote Pro - --focusing & exposure
Canon DPP - filter application, contrast adjustment, color temperature adjustment, RAW conversion to TIF
Tufuse - Image fusion
Images Stacked: 2
Day: 38
Date: 9/26/2013
Location: Chesterfield, MO
Time: 12:20 PM CDT
Seeing (x/5): 3/5
Transparency (x/4): 3/4
Telescope: Coronado PST
Aperture/FL: 40mm/400mm
Double Stacked?: no
Rotation: 2141
Sunspot Number: 31
Image Specifications:
Camera: Canon T2i
Exposure Time: 1/320th
ISO: 800
Imaging Software:
DSLR Remote Pro - --focusing & exposure
Canon DPP - filter application, contrast adjustment, color temperature adjustment, RAW conversion to TIF
Tufuse - Image fusion
Images Stacked: 1
Notes: Same as above
Day: 39
Date: 9/27/2013
Location: Chesterfield, MO
Time: 8:55 AM CDT
Seeing (x/5): 2/5
Transparency (x/4): 3/4
Telescope: Coronado PST
Aperture/FL: 40mm/400mm
Double Stacked?: no
Rotation: 2141
Sunspot Number: 27
Image Specifications:
Camera: Canon T2i
Exposure Time: 1/320th
ISO: 800
Imaging Software:
DSLR Remote Pro - --focusing & exposure
Canon DPP - filter application, contrast adjustment, color temperature adjustment, RAW conversion to TIF
Images Stacked: 1
Notes: I'm going to use just one image and forgo image fusion. The prominences don't add much to the labeled disk.
Day: 46
Date: 10/4/2013
Location: Chesterfield, MO
Time: 8:55 AM CDT
Seeing (x/5): 2/5
Transparency (x/4): 3/4
Telescope: Coronado PST
Aperture/FL: 40mm/400mm
Double Stacked?: no
Rotation: 2142
Sunspot Number: 61
Image Specifications:
Camera: Canon T2i
Exposure Time: 1/320th
ISO: 800
Imaging Software:
DSLR Remote Pro - --focusing & exposure
Canon DPP - filter application, contrast adjustment, color temperature adjustment, RAW conversion to jpg
Tufuse - Image fusion
Images Stacked: 1
Notes: Same as above
Day: 48
Date: 10/6/2013
Location: Chesterfield, MO
Time: 9:45 AM CDT
Seeing (x/5): 3/5
Transparency (x/4): 2/4
Telescope: Coronado PST
Aperture/FL: 40mm/400mm
Double Stacked?: no
Rotation: 2142
Sunspot Number: 27
Image Specifications:
Camera: Canon T2i
Exposure Time: 1/320th
ISO: 800
Imaging Software:
DSLR Remote Pro - --focusing & exposure
Canon DPP - filter application, contrast adjustment, color temperature adjustment, RAW conversion to TIF
Tufuse - Image fusion
Images Stacked: 1
Note: see the next section about a possible flare in this image.
Day: 51
Date: 10/9/2013
Location: Chesterfield, MO
Time: 8:45 AM CDT
Seeing (x/5): 2/5
Transparency (x/4): 3/4
Telescope: Coronado PST
Aperture/FL: 40mm/400mm
Double Stacked?: No
Rotation: 2142
Sunspot Number: 99
Image Specifications:
Camera: AstroVideo System modified LN300
Exposure Time: 2 one minute exposures @ 1/4000th shutter (top/bottom of the sun)
Gain: 45
Imaging Software:
RegiStax -- for combining stacking the videos
PhotoShop -- to register the two resulting frames, contrast adjustment
Images Stacked: ~1530 frames for each exposure (1800 recorded with 85% best stacked)
Notes: Time for something different. This takes much longer and results in a much smaller final image vs the DSLR. I've been capturing video in 640x480 for some time with the hope that I could find prominence and disk detail for the other parts of the program. Today I decided to capture the disk with video. The field of view for the PST and video camera is too small to capture the entire disk so I resorted to processing two separate videos for final images and then combine them in PhotoShop. All told, the entire processing to get the image on the left was about twenty-five minutes, mostly watching RegiStax run. I think I like the image better, but I'm not sure that the time invested was worthwhile. I'm also investigating using two screen grab single frames from the video camera and using PhotoShop to combine them and eliminating RegiStax. It would save time HOWEVER there are ripples in the individual images that RegiStax seems to remove. The picture is the one above on the right.
Day: 53
Date: 10/11/2013
Location: Chesterfield, MO
Time: 9:02 AM CDT
Seeing (x/5): 3/5
Transparency (x/4): 2/4
Telescope: Coronado PST
Aperture/FL: 40mm/400mm
Double Stacked?: No
Rotation: 2142
Sunspot Number: 138
Image Specifications:
Camera: AstroVideo System modified LN300
Exposure Time: 2 sixty second exposures @ 1/4000th shutter (top/bottom of the sun)
Gain: 45
Imaging Software:
RegiStax -- for combining stacking the videos
PhotoShop -- to register the two resulting frames, contrast adjustment
Images Stacked: 1530 frames for each exposure (1800 recorded with 85% best stacked)
Notes: Same processing as above. There were some high clouds and it was windy today and the sun was bouncing around pretty well during the video capture. We shall see how well it turns out. The eyepiece view was pretty good and a number of features could be seen.
Looking closely you can see the ripple marks in the image. Ground problem with the camera running of line and the laptop running on batteries?? Something to investigate!
Added 10/15: The ripples result from a combination of a 12v switching power supply and 5 meter cable combination. If I use either one I get a clean signal, but using both at the same time pushes noise over the top.
Day: 58
Date: 10/16/2013
Location: Chesterfield, MO
Time: 10:16 AM CDT
Seeing (x/5): 3/5
Transparency (x/4): 2/4
Telescope: Coronado PST
Aperture/FL: 40mm/400mm
Double Stacked?: No
Rotation: 2142
Sunspot Number: 148
Image Specifications:
Camera: AstroVideo System modified LN300
Exposure Time: 2 thirty sixty exposures @ 1/4000th shutter (top/bottom of the sun)
Gain: 20
Imaging Software:
RegiStax -- for combining stacking the videos
PhotoShop -- to register the two resulting frames, contrast adjustment
Images Stacked: 1530 frames for each exposure (1800 recorded with 85% best stacked)
Notes:
Recorded same as above, but much harder to do. It was windy and there were very patchy clouds. The clouds streamed in and out making it difficult to record the video. There were many start/stop/deletes before I manage to capture two sequences that would work. On the positive side there were quite a few prominences today including a very wide arch at 5:30, a good double at 11:00 and a very long pillar at 10:00 (it made it to Cloudy Nights!).
While I didn't catch it as a flare by seeing it brighten over time, the feature labeled as flare that is towards the top at 12 o'clock and very bright is apparently a class C flare as described on Cloudy Nights. Looking at the video for changes all I see are thin clouds rolling through and no brightening, but it is apparently a flair.
Day: 60
Date: 10/18/2013
Location: Chesterfield, MO
Time: 9:02 AM CDT
Seeing (x/5): 4/5
Transparency (x/4): 1/4
Telescope: Coronado PST
Aperture/FL: 40mm/400mm
Double Stacked?: No
Rotation: 2142
Sunspot Number: 166
Image Specifications:
Camera: AstroVideo System modified LN300
Exposure Time: 2 sixty second exposures @ 1/4000th shutter (top/bottom of the sun)
Gain: 18
Imaging Software:
RegiStax -- for combining stacking the videos
PhotoShop -- to register the two resulting frames, contrast adjustment
Images Stacked: 1530 frames for each exposure (1800 recorded with 85% best stacked)
Notes:
Day 60 and the end of the project and probably the best image although I spent less time on it than many of the above. Strange that both the seeing and transparency were unquestionably the best today versus any other time during the entire period. It is almost begging me to do more but I need to get the PST back into circulation since another club member as asked for it.
In the end I believe the video camera in B&W is the way to go. Detail is better and RegiStax does a pretty good job with even 100 alignment points.
Requirement #2: The second set is detailed sketches or images of the different forms that solar prominences take on the limb of the Sun.
These MUST include:
Single Arch—This is one of the most common shapes of a prominence, representing charged solar material flowing up from the solar atmosphere and down again following local magnetic field lines.
Date: 8/20/2013
Location: Chesterfield, MO
Time: 9:18 AM CDT
Seeing (x/5): 2
Transparency (x/4): 3
Telescope: Coronado PST
Aperture/FL: 40mm/400mm
Double Stacked?: no
Rotation: 2140
Image Specifications:
Camera: Canon T2i
Exposure Time: 1/30th ISO: 200
Imaging Software: Canon DPP
Images Stacked: 1
Double Arch—Much rarer than a single arch, this has two arches that are connected to each other via a center stream of material.
Date: 8/21/2013
Location: Chesterfield, MO
Time: 10:38 AM CDT
Seeing (x/5): 3/5
Transparency (x/4): 3/4
Telescope: Coronado PST
Aperture/FL: 40mm/400mm
Double Stacked?: no
Rotation: 2140
Image Specifications:
Camera: Canon T2i
Exposure Time: 1/30th ISO: 200
Imaging Software: Canon DPP
Images Stacked: 1
Broken Arch—Likely to be an evolutionary stage of a single arch, a broken arch features gaps in the stream of material where the plasma density is either too low to be detected, or the material has been blown away or disrupted by solar wind streams.
Date: 8/21/2013
Location: Chesterfield, MO
Time: 10:38 AM CDT
Seeing (x/5): 3/5
Transparency (x/4): 3/4
Telescope: Coronado PST
Aperture/FL: 40mm/400mm
Double Stacked?: no
Rotation: 2140
Image Specifications:
Camera: Canon T2i
Exposure Time: 1/30th ISO: 200
Imaging Software: Canon DPP
Images Stacked: 1
Unconnected Arch—This is where one end of the arch has not reconnected to the solar surface. This is also likely to be an evolutionary stage of the single arch, where the material is still traveling down the magnetic field lines to the surface.
Date: 9/22/2013
Location: Chesterfield, MO
Time: 9:26 AM CDT
Seeing (x/5): 3/5
Transparency (x/4): 3/4
Telescope: Coronado PST
Aperture/FL: 40mm/400mm
Double Stacked?: no
Rotation: 2141
Image Specifications:
Camera: Canon T2i
Exposure Time: 1/30th
ISO: 800
Imaging Software: Canon DPP
Images Stacked: 1
Straight Pillar—This appears as an eruption vertically up from the solar surface, and is quite common. It could also be an arch seen edge-on.
Date: 10/18/2013
Location: Chesterfield, MO
Time: 9:02 AM CDT
Seeing (x/5): 4/5
Transparency (x/4): 1/4
Telescope: Coronado PST
Aperture/FL: 40mm/400mm
Double Stacked?: no
Rotation: 2141
Image Specifications:
Camera: AstroVideo System modified LN300
Exposure Time: 2 sixty second exposures @ 1/4000th shutter (top/bottom of the sun)
Gain: 18
Imaging Software:
RegiStax -- for combining stacking the videos
Images Stacked: 1530 frames for each exposure (1800 recorded with 85% best stacked)
Curved Pillar—This is simply a pillar that is bent out of shape by magnetic or other forces, and could also be the early stages of an arch seen at an angle
Date: 8/29/2013
Location: Chesterfield, MO
Time: 12:58 PM CDT
Seeing (x/5): 2/5
Transparency (x/4): 2/4
Telescope: Coronado PST
Aperture/FL: 40mm/400mm
Double Stacked?: no
Rotation: 2140
Image Specifications:
Camera: Canon T2i
Exposure Time: 1/30th
ISO: 200
Imaging Software: Canon DPP
Images Stacked: 1:
Inclined Pillar—This is where the material at the base of the eruption and throughout the prominence is at a significant angle to the surface.
Date: 9/22/2013
Location: Chesterfield, MO
Time: 9:26 AM CDT
Seeing (x/5): 3/5
Transparency (x/4): 3/4
Telescope: Coronado PST
Aperture/FL: 40mm/400mm
Double Stacked?: no
Rotation: 2141
Image Specifications:
Camera: Canon T2i
Exposure Time: 1/30th
ISO: 800
Imaging Software: Canon DPP
Images Stacked: 1
Mound—This is also a fairly common type of prominence, and is seen as a relatively but fairly low eruption. It has a width equal to or greater than its height.
Date: 8/21/2013
Location: Chesterfield, MO
Time: 10:38 AM CDT
Seeing (x/5): 3/5
Transparency (x/4): 3/4
Telescope: Coronado PST
Aperture/FL: 40mm/400mm
Double Stacked?: no
Rotation: 2140
Image Specifications:
Camera: Canon T2i
Exposure Time: 1/30th ISO: 200
Imaging Software: Canon DPP
Images Stacked: 1
Hedgerow—This is a grouping of many smaller prominences that are likely to have come from the same source of activity.
Date: 9/21/2013
Location: Chesterfield, MO
Time: 8:39 AM CDT
Seeing (x/5): 2/5
Transparency (x/4): 3/4
Telescope: Coronado PST
Aperture/FL: 40mm/400mm
Double Stacked?: no
Rotation: 2141
Image Specifications:
Camera: Canon T2i
Exposure Time: 1/30th
ISO: 800
Imaging Software: Canon DPP
Images Stacked: 1
Pyramid—This common type is like a combination of a pillar and a mound, typically featuring a wide base that converges to a fairly sharp point.
Date: 9/13/2013
Location: Chesterfield, MO
Time: 8:21 AM CDT
Seeing (x/5): 4/5
Transparency (x/4): 2/4
Telescope: Coronado PST
Aperture/FL: 40mm/400mm
Double Stacked?: no
Rotation: 2141
Image Specifications:
Camera: Canon T2i
Exposure Time: 1/30th ISO: 800
Imaging Software: Canon DPP
Images Stacked: 1
Broken Pyramid—This is a pyramid that has some damage in the form of holes in the plasma stream, or whole sections of plasma that have broken off. It is also likely to be an evolutionary stage of a regular pyramid.
Date: 9/26/2013
Location: Chesterfield, MO
Time: 12:34 PM CDT
Seeing (x/5): 3/5
Transparency (x/4): 3/4
Telescope: Coronado PST
Aperture/FL: 40mm/400mm
Double Stacked?: no
Rotation: 2141
Image Specifications:
Camera: Canon T2i
Exposure Time: 1/30th
ISO: 800
Imaging Software: Canon DPP
Images Stacked: 1
Fork—This is two prominences, typically of pyramid or pillar form, that are very close together. The width between them is usually less than the base width of the thinnest prominence.
Date: 8/29/2013
Location: Chesterfield, MO
Time: 12:58 PM CDT
Seeing (x/5): 2/5
Transparency (x/4): 2/4
Telescope: Coronado PST
Aperture/FL: 40mm/400mm
Double Stacked?: no
Rotation: 2140
Image Specifications:
Camera: Canon T2i
Exposure Time: 1/30th
ISO: 200
Imaging Software: Canon DPP
Images Stacked: 1
Detached—Here the material has lifted off the surface entirely, and appears to be completely disconnected from the surface. It is possible that some low density interconnecting material is there, but is not detectable with the observer’s equipment.
Date: 8/30/2013
Location: Chesterfield, MO
Time: 9:11 PM CDT
Seeing (x/5): 3/5
Transparency (x/4): 3/4
Telescope: Coronado PST
Aperture/FL: 40mm/400mm
Double Stacked?: no
Rotation: 2140
Image Specifications:
Camera: Canon T2i
Exposure Time: 1/30th
ISO: 800
Imaging Software: Canon DPP
Images Stacked: 1
Anomalous—As is to be expected with any classification system, there are prominences that have no discernible shape or features than can place them in a distinct category. Due to the random and very complicated nature of solar surface eruptions and magnetic fields, these kinds of prominences are relatively common.
Date: 9/2/2013
Time: 9:04 AM CDT
Location: Chesterfield, MO
Telescope: Coronado PST
Seeing: 3/5
Transparency: 2/4
Rotation: 2141
Image Specifications:
Camera: AstroVideo System modified LN-300
Exposure Times: 1/4000th @ 30 fps 1 minute
Imaging Software:
RegiStax
Number of Stacked Images: 1800
Requirement #3: In the third set, you will make detailed sketches or images of individual features on the disk of the Chromospheric Sun, which MUST include six of the following nine features:
Set 3: Chromospheric Sun Disk Features
Name/Description from the AL's webpage/my data Sample picture My image
(1). Filaments—Prominences seen against the face of the sun, appearing as long, narrow dark streamers or diffuse complex dark areas. Filaments often mark areas of magnetic shearing.
Date: 9/2/2013
Time: 9:04 AM CDT
Location: Chesterfield, MO
Telescope: Coronado PST
Seeing: 3/5
Transparency: 2/4
Rotation: 2142
Camera: AstroVideo System modified LN-300
Exposure Times: 1/4000th @ 30 fps 1 minute
Imaging Software:
RegiStax
Number of Stacked Images: 1800
(2). Spicules—Small jets of gas under 10,000 km high, usually seen as a mass of tiny brighter spike-like features on the limb or as tiny darker spikes coming out of network elements.
Date: 10/11/2013
Time: 9:04 AM CDT
Location: Chestefield, MO
Telescope: Coronado PST
Seeing: 3/5
Transparency: 2/4
Rotation: 2142
Camera: AstroVideo Systems modified LN-300
Exposure Times: 1/4000th @ 30 fps 1 minute
Software:
RegiStax
Number of Stacked Images: 1800
(3). Flares—Intense, abrupt releases of energy which occur in areas where the local magnetic field is rapidly realigning or changing because of magnetic field stress.
Date: 10/6/2013
Time: 9:49:09 AM
Location: Chesterfield, MO
Telescope: Coronado PST
Seeing: 3/5
Transparency: 2/4
Rotation: 2142
Camera: Canon T2i
Exposure Times: 1/60
ISO: 800
Number of Stacked Images: 1
Software:
Canon DPP -- RAW to Jpg conversion
PhotoShop -- cropping & resizing
Notes:
On the right are two images taken about 7 minutes apart with identical exposures and under the same conditions. The listed time is for the bottom image.
Most of the solar disk is the same with the exception of a sunspot group about 7 o'clock from the center. The group shows two light spots, but the spot on the right is much brighter in the lower image. No PhotoShop help either!
I'm calling this a flare. It does show a significant brightening over a very short period. A few of the pixels on the right seem to even be saturated when viewed in PhotoShop. Below is a composite of the two with the sunspot group from the top on the left and the group from the bottom on the right. While the exposures don't match, the flare in the right image is signifantly brigher compared the companion.
Elerman Bombs—Micro solar flares that appear as tiny fairly bright transient points of light (usually less than 5 arc minutes), most often found in Emerging Flux Regions or on edges of sunspots where the magnetic field is breaking the surface. Also known as a Severny moustache.
(4). Plage—Patchy H-alpha brightenings on the solar disk, usually found in or near active regions, which can last for several days. Plage is irregular in shape and variable in brightness, marking areas of nearly vertical emerging or reconnecting magnetic field lines.
Date: 10/11/2013
Time: 9:04 AM CDT
Location: Chestefield, MO
Telescope: Coronado PST
Seeing: 3/5
Transparency: 2/4
Rotation: 2142
Camera: AstroVideo Systems modified LN-300
Exposure Times: 1/4000th @ 30 fps 1 minute
Software:
RegiStax
Number of Stacked Images: 1800
(5). Field Transition Arches—Filament-like fibrils which cross the polarity inversion line of a bipolar magnetic region. A polarity inversion line is a line marking the halfway point between two opposite polarity areas.
Date: 10/11/2013
Time: 9:04 AM CDT
Location: Chestefield, MO
Telescope: Coronado PST
Seeing: 3/5
Transparency: 2/4
Rotation: 2142
Camera: AstroVideo Systems modified LN-300
Exposure Times: 1/4000th @ 30 fps 1 minute
Software:
RegiStax
Number of Stacked Images: 1800
Emerging Flux Region—An area on the Sun where a magnetic dipole, or flux tube is surfacing on the disk, eventually producing a bipolar sunspot group. Each pole of an EFR is often marked by pores or small developing sunspots. Growth is rapid, forming in just a few hours.
Emerging Flux Region—An area on the Sun where a magnetic dipole, or flux tube is surfacing on the disk, eventually producing a bipolar sunspot group. Each pole of an EFR is often marked by pores or small developing sunspots. Growth is rapid, forming in just a few hours.
(6). Sunspots—Temporary phenomena that appear visibly as dark spots compared to surrounding regions. They are caused by intense magnetic activity, which inhibits convection, forming areas of reduced surface temperature. Although normally a white light phenomena, they do appear in H-alpha, but their penumbrae are lower in contrast than in white light.
Date: 10/11/2013
Time: 9:04 AM CDT
Location: Chestefield, MO
Telescope: Coronado PST
Seeing: 3/5
Transparency: 2/4
Rotation: 2142
Camera: AstroVideo Systems modified LN-300
Exposure Times: 1/4000th @ 30 fps 1 minute
Software:
RegiStax
Number of Stacked Images: 1800
(7). Active Region—A localized, transient volume of the solar atmosphere in which plages, sunspots, filaments, flares, etc., may be observed. Active regions are the result of enhanced magnetic fields; they are bipolar and may be complex if the region contains two or more bipolar groups.
Date: 10/9/2013
Time: 9:45 AM CDT
Location: Chesterfield, MO
Telescope: Coronado PST
Seeing: 3/5
Transparency: 2/4
Rotation: 2142
Camera: AstroVideo System modified LN-300
Exposure Times: 1/4000th @ 30 fps 1 minute
Imaging Software:
RegiStax
Number of Stacked Images: 1800
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