[Paddy (Patrick)]

I was very excited to receive my new Lunt 50mm Ha solar filter and B600 blocking filter (thanks to Casstony) and the new skywatcher ed80 on which to sit them last week. Knowing that they'd be coming to my workplace, I took my Vixen LVW 17mm so I could have a look if a client cancelled. They did and I joyfully set up my new system, only to find that the ed80 with supplied 1 1/4" adapter didn't have enought in focus. As I was staying at my workplace in Bendigo that night, I gave the scope a run with ordinary diagonal, but the light pollution was appalling. Don't know how people do observing in cities.

So true reasonable first light was last night and today, at home with televue eps. By night, although I think it will be a good grab and go scope, I know why I have a 16" dob.

But today, after some frustration with some clouds, I finally got to look at our nearest star at about 4 pm. Despite wind and the sun being a bit low, the view was stunning. A small but very elegant solar flare, looking very much like the ears of a cat or fox peeping over the disc of the sun. Some very interesting sunspots and other surface detail that I now need to understand. So if anyone knows some links to good tutorials (with pictures) on solar features, I'd be very grateful. Or books.

I started doing some sketches, but the sun was getting behind some trees. Tomorrow, tomorrow... So now the obsession can be 24 hours a day.