Solar spectacle right now! (Sunday Morning)

[mental4astro]

A huge coronal mass ejection is occurring right now off the Sun, with a pretty set of proms to accompany.

If you have a solar scope try to catch a glimpse of it - it is moving and changing so fast!

[04Stefan07]

Damn bloody cloudy here in Melbourne.

Would have looked great with my Lunt 50 Pressure Tuned!

[Atmos]

I kinda feel like pointing my P.S.T in the direction of the sun and HOPING that the cloud cover just parts for me ;)

[doppler]

I've only got a solar filter, so just one lonely sunspot through this scope. Did get to show my daughters friend his first look at the sun and a sunspot though.

[mental4astro]

Rick, you should up the magnification on that 'lonely' sunspot. It is actually quite a complex structure made up of many individual spots!

[MattT]

Hi Alex,
You still using the Daystar Quark eyepiece, or have you moved onto something else? I have an f7.5 80mm Achro that could go well with the Daystar eyepiece.
Matt

[doppler]

Yes I have looked at some wild sunspots, but nothing beats seeing the flames (prominences) on the sun through a solar scope. Although I did see them with the same filter at the Cairns total eclipse. Wow

[mental4astro]

Hi Matt,

Yes, I am using the Daystar Quark. I use it with an ED80 and an 80mm f/5 achro. Each scope is good for different things. And I'm having a wild time using different eyepieces too. Just when you think you've settled on using long focal length plossls, along comes a wild idea of using a Hyperion with it, and everything changes... Not as easy to use as a dedicated H-alpha scope, but I'm having a ball with it. I've figure out different ways of tricking up the scopes and EPs I use with it to best bring out different features. The only real 'problem' I have is how to best lay down the chromosphere features in a sketch... :lol:

[MattT]

Thanks Alex. I thought I might want to buy one of the Quarks until I looked at the price, I'm OK as I was sitting down and didn't break anything falling off the chair :D Gonna have to wait for the banana republic exchange rate to change first…only about $1K USD to buy one.

Till then keep sketching will ya :thanx:

[blink138]

............. i have been waiting for some of our members photos of this event but nothing yet?
pat

[deanm]

...me too!!

Dean

[DarkArts]

You and me both. I check the exchange rate almost daily, somehow hoping for a miracle. :sadeyes:

[mental4astro]

Here's my sketch of it done moments before I started this thread.

Remember that with a Quark you can use it on any existing refractor you have. So, if you have a 100mm f/5 refractor, how much would a 100mm Lunt cost you...

[GUS.K]

Nice sketch Alex.

[blink138]

oh wow alex i would have loved to have seen that!, great sketch mate btw!
pat

[skysailor]

I've got a white light filter on my130mm Sky Rover F/7 Triplet Refractor but I am sorely tempted to splash out on a Lunt... I have lusted after one of them for a long time...
cheers