Bin scanned the Sun through thin
cloud at 11:45 GMT but didn't see any sunspots.
At 19:15 GMT, I observed the Moon from
indoors. It was near full and the ray systems were well developed
and I could see all features that I can normally see at a full
Moon, except Grimaldi.
Just afterwards, I bin scanned Venus and
estimated a 70% phase.
Apr 2nd
I bin scanned the Sun in clear conditions
at 09:35 GMT but didn't see any sunspots.
Apr 4th
I bin scanned the Sun at 15:50 GMT in clear
conditions but didn't see any sunspots. I checked it using
the PST and just saw 2 prominences together and absolutely no other
features. A quiet Sun indeed.
Apr 5th
I bin scanned the Sun at 08:15 GMT in clear
conditions but didn't see any sunspots.
Apr 6th
I bin scanned the Sun at 09:05 GMT in clear
conditions but didn't see any sunspots.
Apr 7th
I bin scanned the Sun at 09:30 GMT in clear
conditions but didn't see any sunspots.
Apr 8th
I bin scanned the Sun at 12:00 GMT in clear
conditions but didn't see any sunspots.
Apr 10th
I bin scanned the Sun at 12:50 GMT through
thiun cloud but didn't see any sunspots.
Apr 11th
After a cloudy day, I managed to see Venus in
the twilight at 20:00 GMT. I estimated the phase as about 70%
(not much change since the last viewing). I was unable to record
the phase with the unaided camera but I managed to obtain a photograph
through my binoculars.
I tried the same method to capture the Hyades
and Pleaides at 20:30 GMT but it didn't work, although the main
asterisms of both star clusters were clearly visible.
Apr 12th
Bin scanned the Sun at 10:00 GMT but didn't see
any sunspots. I looked at the Sun in hydrogen alpha light at
18:00 GMT. Strangely enough, there were no prominences. There were
some granulation features visible but they were smaller than what
I could resolve with the digital cameras.
Apr 14th
Bin scanned the Sun at 10:30 GMT through
thin cloud but didn't see any sunspots.
At 13:00 GMT, I did a hydrogen alpha shoot. Some
granulation was visible and there were 2 prominences visible in
the eyepiece. The first picture captured the granulation:
The second photo catches one prominence and a slightly
better view of the granulation:
The third photo (processed from the same original
as the second) shows a prominence more clearly:
The fourth photo appears like a calcium K image
but is actually a hydrogen alpha photo coloured in blue for a
joke! There seems a trace of a filament in the middle.
The fifth photo catches the prominences best for
a full Sun shot. As for the yellow colour of the disk, don't ask
as I can't tell you how to repeat it:
The sixth one is a close-up of the prominences:
The next photo was a fiddle, using HSL split from
an original and it shows the prominences and the full disc:
The eighth and final photo was taken by combining
the Red and Lightness channels of a prominence close-up:
The hoped-for conjunction between Venus and the Pleaides
was a non-event, due to thin cloud near the horizon. Although
Venus was clearly visible to the unaided eye, the Pleaides were
not even visible in my binoculars at 20:55 GMT. Instead, I attempted
a photo shoot of Venus and Saturn, starting at 21:10 GMT and taking
about half an hour. I used the Skywatcher Startravel 80 with the CEMAX
12mm eyepiece, with and without the Barlow lens and both digital camera.
The photos with the Cybershot (3.1 megapixels) were
disappointing, with only one of Venus at 100x magnification coming
out:
The suggested phase of 70% tallied with my visiual
estimation.
The photo with the Digimax (10 megapixels) was more
convincing, even at 33x magnification:
The photo at 100x was a little less convincing and
suggests a very small phase:
Saturn didn't look too clever at 33x, with only the
rings visible. I could see some cloud bands at 100x magnification,
which is quite good for an 80mm short tube refractor. Unfortunately,
the photograph only showed what Galileo could see, just a rather strange
looking shaped planet:
Apr 15th
I bin scanned the Sun at 08:30 GMT but didn't see
any sunspots. The conditions were surprisingly clear, given the
haziness of the night before.
5 minutes later, I checked the Sun in hydrogen alpha
light. It was very quiet but there were 2 small prominences near
where I saw them the day before. It was almost inevitable that I would
try some photography.
The first shot shows the granulation features well
but not the prominences:
The 2nd shot is another go at the granulation features:
The third shot finally sees the prominences on the
full disc (it even captured one at about one o'clock, which I'd missed
visually):
The 4th shot shows a close-up of the prominences showing
nearby granulation features:
The fifth and final shot brings the prominences out
on their own:
Being a nice day, I decided to go out for another photo
shoot at 11:00 GMT. The first shot shows granulation features and
limb darkening but no prominences.
The next shot shows the prominences with the disc:
None of the close-up shots of the prominences worked,
so I did a digital close-up using the image above:
The Sun had changed a bit by 12:20 GMT. The larger image
of the first shot shows a hint of a prominence but the smaller version
on the web obscures it:
The next shot catches the prominences nicely:
Apr 16th
Bin scanned the Sun in hazy conditions at 06:50 GMT but
didn't see any sunspots.
Apr 17th
Bin scanned the Sun through thin cloud at 15:50 GMT but
didn't see any sunspots.
Apr 18th
Bin scanned the Sun in a clear sky at 07:40 GMT but didn't
see any sunspots.
At 20:00 GMT, I went out for a twilight bin scan. There
was a very slender crescent Moon and I cursed that I was unable to
use my Mak to photograph it. Venus still appeared to have a 70% phase
and there were some members of the Hyades in the same field of view. The
main stars of the Hyades were visible to my binoculars, despite the bright
twilight. I could also count 9 of the Pleaides a few degrees to the right.
I could also see Saturn's rings, although I couldn't resolve the gap between
the rings and planet.
Apr 19th
Bin scanned the Sun in clear conditions at 07:35 GMT and
didn't see any sunspots.
Apr 20th
After a cloudy day, I did a hydrogen alpha shoot at 17:00
GMT. I fiddled with the tuning, couldn't find a single prominence
or filament, so just saw some granulation features that came out:
I went out for a photo shoot at 21:15 GMT for half an hour
using the Skywatcher Startravel 80. The first shot was the whole lunar
disc:
Although the visual view at 100x magnification was spectacular,
the shot of Mare Crisium was nowhere near as good as with the Mak:
Venus suggested that its phase had reduced to nearer 60% since
my last viewing and the photo at 33x magnification seems to confirm
this:
Without optical aid, I managed to catch Venus with the Moon.
There are some background stars around:
I went out for a second photo shoot at 22:15 GMT and started
with Saturn in Leo:
I also caught part of Draco with Vega and Deneb.
The final constellation shot was Bootes:
I managed to see Saturn's rings and some belt detail at 100x
magnification but all the shots were blurred. I had much better shots
of Saturn the year before. Algeiba didn't quite split at 100x magnification
but Castor did:
Castor C can be seen on the right.
Apr 21st
Bin scanned the Sun at 09:45 GMT but didn't see any sunspots.
Apr 22nd
After a cloudy start to the day, it cleared in the afternoon and
I checked the Sun at 15:35 GMT and didn't see any sunspots.
I tried a hydrogen alpha shoot at 16:00 GMT. When it cleared and
the air turbulence was better, I could make out several prominences at
the top of the solar disc but they were going in and out of view. I also
saw a filament for the first time for ages. These shots just captured
the supergranulation features. It was a shame that I didn't capture either
the filament or the prominences but it wasn't a total surprise.
Apr 24th
During a partial break in some very cloudy and wet weather, I
managed to bin scan the Sun at 15:10 GMT. I couldn't see any sunspots.
Apr 26th
I bin scanned the Sun at 07:45 GMT in reasonable conditions but
didn't see any sunspots.
Apr 27th
I bin scanned the night sky at 21:50 GMT in cloudy/hazy conditions.
Only a handful of stars were visible. The Moon showed Clavius and Tycho
near the terminator with the ray systems already visible. Sinus Iridium
was nicely placed near the terminator, too.
Saturn showed its odd shape, while I managed to split Mizar/Alcor
and Delta Lyrae. There was nothing else to see.
Apr 28th
I bin scanned the Sun mid-morning and was greeted by the first sunspot
for absolutely ages:
The area surrounding the sunspot was the only highlight of the solar
disc but the hydrogen alpha view was inspiring, nevertheless:
I did a further shoot at 16:20 GMT. The first shot shows the whole
disc, although the prominences are not so clear:
I used the same original to bring out the prominences but with less
surface detail:
The final shot shows a close-up of the most active part of the Sun:
Apr 29th
The conditions of the morning before were not repeated. However, I
was still able to see the sunspot through thin cloud. Not only had it
rotated but also changed in shape.
Thin cloud hampered my attempts to see the Sun in hydrogen alpha light
but I managed one shot at 17:00 before it got too low.
Apr 30th
Bin scanned the Sun in the morning and found that the sunspot had changed
again:
I went for a dusk photo shoot at 20:30 GMT. The variable polarizing filter
made a big difference at 33x magnification:
I snapped Tycho at 100x magnification:
... and a similar shot of Plato:
Venus showed a phase of 60% but camera shake ruined all of the photos.
