Enormous Filaments

Many Features!

Afternoon skies were clear on March 21st, one day after the vernal equinox. It was occasionally breezy, but seeing conditions were slightly better than my previous two observing sessions in Williamsburg. The Sun put on a good show! Sunspots, active areas, and filaments were nicely spread across the solar disc.

The first portrait below is a 26-image mosaic showing most of the action on the disc. From left to right below center are sunspots 2014, 2010, 2008, and 2004. From left to right above center are sunspots 2013 and 2005. Check out all the dark filaments! In particular, notice the three enormous nearly parallel filaments on the lower right! They look like scratch marks from a monumental cosmic claw! (Click on all the images below for a larger view.)

Filaments are held above surrounding gases by magnetic fields. Their levitation shows up well in the next image, an inverted version of the previous picture.

Now take a closer look at some of the features. First, check out those huge filaments near sunspot 2004. The upper filament is roughly 25 Earth diameters long! Its twisty partner underneath is even longer!

The inverted image displays very nice filament float.

Large sunspot 2005 had an active area to its upper left with a filament stretched out toward the upper left.

Sunspot 2014 (lower) and sunspot 2013 (upper) were near the eastern limb. A small active area was gushing near the limb at center.

Sunspots 2010 (left) and 2008 (right) occupied center on the sun's disc as seen in the following cropped segment from a 12-image mosaic. This image, filled with interesting detail, is one of the nicest portraits I've been able to capture recently.

Not many big prominences were present besides this one on the southeastern limb.

All pictures here were made with a 2X Barlow lens. I'm still gathering adapters to eliminate interference fringes which appear in images made with higher power Barlows.