Fun at the Beach

Outer Banks 2020

A June trip to the beach in Southern Shores, NC is becoming a family tradition. This year my daughter, Ellen, joined us earlier than usual. Ellen and her Mom really enjoy the beach and set off directly for some time by the sea.

We had a bit more rain this year compared to other years, but not enough to ruin the trip. One evening a passing thunderstorm produced a beautiful rainbow over the ocean.

A porch overhang blocked the view in the previous picture. There was a better panoramic view from the rooftop crow's nest. (Click on the images to get a bigger view.)

Ellen and her Mom went down to the beach to see the rainbow.

One morning I finished my run at the beach overlook where I was surprised to find three guys dressed in Samurai outfits slowly practicing ritual movements with swords. Daggers were also stuck nearby in the sand.

One of our silly traditions is completing a big jigsaw puzzle during our stay. This year we assembled the 1,000-piece Tree of Life puzzle.

The puzzle was finished surprisingly quickly this year.

Keegan was kind enough to bring my mountain bike along on his bike carrier so we could take a family bike expedition. Ellen now rides a massive electric bike to pull Annabelle's big trailer. Our rental beach house is in the background.

The main road, Route 12, has no shoulders and is usually filled with non-stop traffic. It's not suitable for a relaxed bike ride. Although Route 12 has a narrow bike trail along much of its length, this trail is crowded with walkers and runners. It was also flooded in many places by recent rain. We rode, instead, on lovely, wide, quiet, traffic-free side streets through beautiful neighborhoods.

When not romping in the water, Sophie looked quite grown up reading on the beach.

We went to see the sunset one beautiful evening on the Duck boardwalk. Unfortunately, Annabelle was not very happy doing this. Her continual complaints made us cut the evening short.

Grandma tried to comfort Annabelle.

It was a lovely evening.

Next year we might try a new rental house to keep Annabelle a bit happier. 

Sunspot Show Continues

Better Weather Conditions

On June 8th skies cleared and temperature moderated. Conditions were much better than my previous sweat soaked solar observing session on June 6th! With occasional light breezes, low humidity, and temperature ranging from the mid 60's to mid 70's, the sky was cloud free most of the time. I was able to begin imaging at about 9:00 am and had time to try different combinations of cameras and Barlow lenses.

The next image is an imperfect 8-image mosaic of the whole solar disk made with my ZWO 174 monochrome camera and a 2X Barlow lens. There are some blurry sections and vertical bands visible. Sunspot 2765 has not quite rotated halfway across the Sun. A small fuzzy filament is present near bottom center. You can see how featureless the Sun is except for the solitary sunspot and minor filament. (Please click on each of the following images to enlarge them for the best detailed view.)

A sharper, closer view of the sunspot and filament is next. This is from a single video clip instead of a mosaic.

The next two images show good detail in the sunspot itself. The first image was made with the ZWO 174 camera together with a 5X Barlow lens.

Next is the sunspot recorded by a ZWO 1600 camera with a 2X Barlow lens. For this image I restricted the full frame recording to a limited region of interest including only the sunspot.

Finally, I used the ZWO 1600 camera with 2X Barlow lens to construct the following imperfect 2-image mosaic of prominences around the Sun's rim. I still haven't discovered a way to exhibit prominence details without accompanying noisy haze around the limb.

This observing session was only my second attempt in seven months. I'm still a bit rusty on procedures and methods. For example, when using a 2X Barlow lens I forgot its larger field of view prevents taking a flat field on the central solar disk. Consequently, I couldn't remove vertical bands present in the whole disk mosaic above. I also discovered there were no dust spots visible while using the 2X Barlow, but they were visible when using the 5X Barlow. So the dirt is in my 5X Barlow, not in the cameras or telescope. I seem to get the best detail with a 5X Barlow, so I either need to figure out how to clean the Barlow, or I need to buy a new 5X Barlow.
  

New Sunspot Cycle

Finally! A Decent Sunspot!

My solar telescope has been idle since last November's transit of Mercury. The Sun's Earth-facing surface has been spotless roughly 80 percent of the time over the past two years as the sunspot cycle minimum seems to go on forever. Recently, a few tiny sunspots have appeared with magnetic polarity indicating they belong in a new increasing sunspot cycle. On June 6 the first decent-sized sunspot of the new cycle had rotated into view. I was able to capture a quick image during a rapidly closing window of clear sky in gaps between clouds.

There was no wind as I set up my equipment, but clouds were increasing. I was soon soaked in sweat by the 89-degree humid conditions. There was time to record only three video clips before the window of clear sky between clouds closed. Unfortunately, the race to beat clouds made it impossible to fix the tilt adjuster and eliminate circular interference rings which appear in the image below.

Here is the best image of sunspot 2765 from three available candidates. The sunspot area shows good detail.

There was no time to make fine adjustments or capture more video frames. I had hoped to experiment with different cameras and Barlow lenses, but this was impossible. Being a bit out of practice with telescope setup didn't help.

I hope it won't be another seven months before my next solar imaging session.

Solar Panels

Delayed Gratification

We recently became the sixth family in our neighborhood to have rooftop solar panels installed. A friendly installation crew arrived in two trucks.

They were soon at work arranging equipment around our house. Mounting rails were readied.

Solar panels were stacked against the fence.

Each panel comes with its own inverter which converts the panel's DC output to AC.

My system consists of ten panels made by Silfab Solar. Each individual panel is composed of 60 monocrystalline silicon solar cells. A single panel produces a maximum power of 320 watts. Solar radiation is converted to electric power with a maximum efficiency of 18.8 percent. Of course, the panels will not work continuously at maximum capacity because rays of undiminished sunlight seldom fall perpendicularly on the panels. Clouds, atmospheric conditions, and solar altitude will vary. Apparently, the panels respond most strongly to wavelengths of invisible infrared light which survive unabsorbed through the atmosphere. The next image shows the spectral response of monocrystalline solar cells (c-Si - the green curve) as well as the spectrum of sunlight that penetrates to Earth's surface.

The crew laid out hardware for mounting the rails to the roof.

If you enlarge the previous image (by clicking on it), you can see where mounting brackets for the rails were attached through the roof to beams below. Each bracket sits on a rubber mat which slips partially under a shingle. This arrangement prevents leaks since rainwater flows down the surface of the roof under the panels.

Eventually, the rails were ready to accept solar panels.

Here's a closer view of the rail mounting.

Now it was time for panels to be attached to the rails.

The panels were placed in approximate positions.

Panel spacing was precisely adjusted as they were attached to the mounting rails.

While panels were installed on the roof an electrician was wiring electrical connections to deliver solar power either directly into our house or out into the electric power grid.

Solar power travels from the roof, down through our attic, and out to the side of the house through this exit.

Power first goes into the controller box on the right, then into a cutoff switch in the middle, and finally through vinyl siding on the upper left into the household main service panel, or breaker box, not visible on the other side of the wall. (The electric power meter is in the lower left.)

The crew finished the entire installation in about 4.5 hours. The final panel assembly looks like this.

There's definitely room on the roof to add more panels if I ever wish to do so. There is a generous gap between panels and roof which helps cool the panels. Rain doesn't fall directly on shingles under the panels. Rain water will flow down the roof under the panels. Leaks are prevented by rubber mats previously mentioned.

It took several weeks to obtain all necessary permits to allow installation to proceed. Unfortunately, there will be more waiting for final inspections by county officials. Will that be the end? No. Dominion Power must then install a new electric meter. At that point, finally, the system will be turned on and deliver solar power. I'm extremely curious to see how well it works! This is definitely a case of delayed gratification!

Quarantine Bears

Daily Bright Spot

Many families are spending more time together during the corona virus lockdown. I've seen unusual numbers of parents walking on neighborhood streets together with young children. Someone on social media suggested homeowners might put a few stuffed animals in windows or on lawns so kids could look for them on neighborhood walks. At one particular house the owner has been exceptionally creative! I look forward to biking past this house often to see the latest exhibit of stuffed bears.

Below are some examples of these delightful displays. One day the bears (wearing masks of course) were watching a football game on TV. Check out the snacks! (Click on the image to enlarge and read the sign.)

Another day the bears prepared for a bike ride.

This bear is a weightlifter, complete with audience! (Click on the image and enlarge so you can read the sign.)

One bear, with drink, listens to the Bangles on his stereo.

Sometimes, the bears play checkers.

Then Goldilocks and the Three Bears appeared.

One porridge was too hot, one too cold, and one just right. (Sometimes the wind blows attached signs and makes then hard to read.)

Goldilocks and the chairs.

Bears have chores!

This bear is repairing a boat motor!

Relaxed bears watch kids in pool.

Headed for a ski trip.

I wish I had taken pictures of bears at the beach and bears teaching a class of little stuffed animals. People in this neighborhood love walking by to chuckle at the daily bright spot displayed at this home.