Resting Sun

Few Features

The Sun has been napping for the past two weeks, showing no big sunspots or dramatically long filaments. It was also cloudy for two weeks, so, when the sky finally cleared on August 14th, even though solar features were sparse, I decided to set up my telescope and get some images. The temperature was mild for this time of year. Observing was relatively comfortable just before noon, but the seeing was only mediocre. I worked for only about one hour.

Large featureless areas in the Sun's western half can be seen in the following 6-image mosaic made with a 2X Barlow lens. Modest sunspot 2138 is in the upper right while a white hot spot and two filaments are visible near the bottom.

A closer look at sunspot 2138 reveals a single umbra and simple surrounding structure.

The white hot spot, seen in the next image near two filaments, became a small sunspot a day or two after this picture was recorded.

On the Sun's eastern side complex sunspot group 2139 stretched out from the small black umbra seen on the right below to the white area immediately to the left of the umbra. Notice the almost circular white hot spot on the far left near the limb. There, white emission is seen behind some overhead parallel horizontal streaks giving a 3-dimensional effect. Movies taken at the same time as my observation showed this feature churning rapidly. A day or two later this hot spot became a sunspot.

Just north of the scene shown in the previous image some nice prominences were on display.

A few other prominences were also present.

The Sun will eventually wake from its nap. I look forward to working in cooler temperatures as autumn approaches.