Sun Spotting

[Blue Skies (Jacquie)]

Blimey, Bert! You seem to the get the wrong end of the stick a bit too often with telescopes (she says remembering your etx saga of some years ago...) Hope you're not disappointed when it does come. But please be patient while the sun's at solar minimum! I got a few looks through Val's while the sun was still active a few years ago and it quite fascinating viewing.

[Popeye (Bert)]

Now if only I got a hint so that I could place you. Please read Oggie Doggie's last post and my reply and try to get him to contact ASWA. I fear that he is about to get bitten.
I am sure that it will be all that I want from the PST. I spoke to Val when I was in Perth a couple of weeks ago and she was rapt in the PST and chided me for wasting time getting one! Typical?
Cheers!
Bert

[Popeye (Bert)]

Uh! Blue Skies I meant Simon, not Oggie Doggie. Got distracted as I sent the last post.
BTW Val has my e-mail address.
Cheers!
Bert

[CoombellKid]

You should be able to see surface granulation very well in the PST. I do in
mine, the only thing thats limiting this at present is that the sun is lower
in the north during winter, and jet streams tend to muddy the view of the
granulated surface. Surface filaments are quite common in my expience,
but usually more common around sunspots or groups. I tend to find in my
PST filter tuner needs to be tuned for each of these features independently
for the best results.

Like anything in astronomy the higher the altitude of the object the better
the view. So summer time you will get better views when the sun is high
in the sky. It really does make a heap of difference

enjoy your PST it's a great lil scope for what it is. Yes you can go out and
buy a double. But really a PST by itself will give you a heap of enjoyment.

regards,CS

[Popeye (Bert)]

Thanks for those encouraging observations (pardon the pun,) Chris.
I look forward to delivery today - and its a sunny day!
Cheers!
Bert

[Popeye (Bert)]

It arrived at 9.30am! Had it out straight away and will need to do some more tinkering. Saw some prominences and actually saw one start up! But the EP supplied is not much chop so I used one of my 15mm Plossls and got a better view. Then I applied my 2x Barlow to the 15mm and had the devil of a time trying to focus it. In fact I didn't get it focused.
This is not helped by the rickety camera tripod that I have it set up on. But I will learn - given time. And its a nice sunny day here in St Helens. (I'm a few degrees lower than you are, Chris. So the sun is even more northerly!
Cheers!
Bert
PS Bintel kindly supplied a Meade Electronic Eyepiece as an 'extra' for the problems that I had.

[Glenhuon (Bill)]

Hope you are having as much fun as I did today popeye. Had my first full day of solar observing with the 60mm and the Baader film filter. Took me a while to pick up the tiny spots and spent another hour or two changing filters to try and bring it out a bit more. Couldn't pick up anything on the limb, but thats something to look forward to. Never thought solar observing could be so absorbing

[Popeye (Bert)]

Sorry that I have not responded earlier. We have had some really wild weather here in Tassie in the last few days and my ISP kept dropping in and out.
It cleared yesterday and I had a quick (15 minute look,) but had to spend a few hours clearing up after the 3 day storm. Not much happening but a few prominences. However they are a marvel to see. Once again this morning (before golf and then the clouds rolling in again,) I got another 15 minutes in and this time apart from 3 small prominences there was one of those ragged black lines but I cannot recall what it is called or what causes it. Also beginning to tune the thing so that I can just make out faculae. I had to drop the camera tripod by one leg length to steady it for focusing and tuning and that has worked. I have ordered an EQ2 from Bintel and expect it to arrive tomorrow. (Had a courtesy call last Friday to tell me that Graham was taking it to the Post Office to send it at that time.) After that I will work on how to fit the PST to the mount. It should not only be more steady but will enable me to use the slow mo controls and not the rough 'n ready jerking around of the camera tripod.
Cheers!
Bert