Battling Clouds

Losing Battle

The first major sunspot in weeks was well placed for viewing on August 9th. Unfortunately, the sky was filled with fair weather clouds. It seemed that observing might be possible through gaps between clouds, so I took a chance and set up my equipment. I managed to capture only six video clips before a huge cloud covered the Sun. This cloud refused to move. Soon the number of clouds increased. At that point I realized the battle was lost and it was time to pack up the equipment.

I had only ten minutes of cloud-free viewing time, but it was enough to capture large sunspot 2396. The following image, made with a 5X Barlow lens, has been processed to show different shades of darkness within the biggest sunspot umbra. A number of small umbras and complex structures are seen to the left of the major umbra. (Click on the images for a larger view.)

The next image is a cropped 3-panel mosaic of a slightly wider region surrounding the big sunspot. This picture has been processed to darken the smaller umbras.

The temperature increased from 86 to 88 degrees while I battled clouds. So much sweat poured down onto note papers that I needed a towel to dry off! Heat exhausts me. I'm looking forward to cooler days.