Hydrogen Alpha Solar Movies at 2000mm FL

The large diameter of the SM90 solar filter will support a  longer focal length, and results are great when seeing is good. TodayI felt seeing was good enough to use a Televue 2.5x Powermate, and with the tak focal length of 800mm, the flick was imaged at 2000mm. This hi mag  movie showing AR1166 reveals lots of rich detail in the active areas core.

The above clip was made from 1747-1918 UT, a few hours before the area let loose with an x-class flare. To improve the movie quality, I examined each frame for sharpness, and removed all mushy frames caused by atmospheric conditions. The movie below is a rework of a movie made several days ago. I realized after processing the movie that the settings in avistack2 were not properly set, resulting in a movie that lacked sharpness and appeared out of focus. i also removed the  mushy frames from the individual images used to make the movie I think the rework looks much better. A  2.5x powermate was used for this movie also

Plasma Rain, AR1164, and a Eruptive Prominence

Here is the first prominence movie made with the solarmax 90 filter. Seeing conditions were poor, and the avi files (300 each) were captured through a thin layer of clouds. Image brightness fluctuated as clouds passed by the sun, so i kept an eye on the histogram and adjusted the gain as needed.  I think it came out quite well. Plasma rains onto the chromosphere (captured from 1617-1726 UT 5 Mar 2011)

SM90 RainProm 5 Mar 2011 1617-1726 UT-Desktop

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I then made this movie of AR1164 using the same “adjust on the fly” method. The delta class active area exhibited no major flare events during the imaging session. However, one small bright area is visible, and the active region filaments are awesome. Just click on the image to launch the giff (1738-1849 UT).

The detail in the filaments provided courtesy of the Solarmax 90. The filter continues to captivate the me with its stunning views and images. Near the end of the day, I scanned the limb and observed a large prom as it erupted into the corona (1901-1935 UT). It was captured from 1901-1935 UT.

ShortyProm 5 Mar 2011 1901-1935 UT-Desktop

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What a spectacular day of observation and imaging!

How did I make 3 movies in one day? Answer- set up early and imaged until noon, then Avistack2 batch processed all the files while I relaxed. Registax aligned the final framescreated from from the avi files. I used Corel Paint Shop Pro to crop and edit brightness, and I executed a mild sharpening on the plasma rain prom.

Coronado SM90 Filter Shakedown

 

During the great Meade factory outlet sale on Coronado hydrogen alpha filters in Feb 2011, I decided to purchase 2 Coronado Solarmax 90 filters to double stack on the TSA102. One with a BF30, and the other with a BF10.  They soon arrived at the doorstep after a short trip from San Ysidro in nice storage cases.  An adaptor plate is needed to mount the filters on a scope, and these plates are not stocked by dealers. I have special ordered one from Preciseparts.com.  An additional special adaptor will be needed to mate the etalons for double stacking, and these are also available from preciseparts.com. A temporary adaptor plate to set one etalon on the scope was put together with household items and some creative thinking, but first light for the double stack must wait for the manufactured 90 to 90 adaptor (please remember double stack 90mm filters mounted on the front end of a telescope will add quite a bit of weight to the objective, so quality of adaptors is very important).  A problem was discovered after the telescope set up process began. The barrel of the BF30 would not fit in the2-inch tak eyepiece holder. It seems the barrel of the BF30 is a fraction of an inch too big. Others have reported the same problem with certain telescope eyepiece adaptors.  First light was accomplished by using the BF10 that came with the second etalon. Focus was easy, and when the tuning wheel on the etalon was turned, chromospheric details sprang into view. After setting the tuning wheel, the etalon was rotated (by rotating the dew shield) to ensure the filter was on band, and the wheel readjusted. The view was absolutely stunning. Rich detail was visible in AR1164, and solar prominences and spicules appeared sharp and detailed. The large 90mm aperture allowed crisp high magnification views fibrils, rosettes, plage, filaments, etc.  The Solarmax 90 specs at 0.7 ang., and that’s slightly narrower than the Lunt filters which spec at 0.75 ang. I could see a difference, and the increase of 15cm aperture really enhanced the image (compared to the Lunt 75mm).  The view was exciting but seeing was bad. I obtained several images with a 2.5x Televue Powermate, and made a few movies. Results were very promising, but poor seeing affected the image sharpness ( I was so impressed with the performance of the filter that I didn’t bother to notice the poor seeing). Seeing had improved for the second round with the new filters a few days later. Once again, the view was stunning, and it was tuff to stop looking and start imaging. I had never before seen the chromospheres in such vivid clarity. I was infatuated with the high mag view of AR1164 with the 2.5x TV Powermate. It showed a lot of interesting details in the umbra and penumbra, and the fibrils and rosettes were awesome. On Day 3 with the new seeing was excellent. The views were incredible, with exquisite solar details visible in amazing clarity. For the movie below, I used the regular configuration of a Cemax Barlow screwed into a custom Lumicon nosepiece of the DMK21AU04. Backing off the focal length really helped the image quality. The AR had rotated closer to the center of the disc. Small bright flashes are visible, along with jumping fibrils, and the active region filament exhibits a lot of flow along its axis. Just click on the image to launch the giff animation. its best to right click and “save target as,” and save to your desktop.

The details in the above movie show the resolution and detail delivered by the SM90. Its awesome for sure. The diameter of eyepiece adaptor for the Tak will need to be increased to use the BF30. Other than that, the single etalon has really made a difference in imaging and viewing the sun in H alpha. Below are 2 movies made with the2.5x Powermate. both are close ups of AR1164, and were made under less than average conditions

The movie below was also made with the solarmax 90 filter. it was captured at 30 second intervals. i was hoping for a smooth movie, and i guess it worked.

M Class Flare in AR1158

AR1158 developed quickly into a cluster of sunspots, and I had a chance to make this time lapse movie from 1706-1736 UT on 13 Feb 2011. I used a Takahshi TSA 102, a doublestacked 75mm Lunt Hydrogen alpha filter. The imager was the new DMK 31AU03offers wide views, but very large files. Movie files are large, but these files are huge and are difficult to compress and share. In this post I present 2 movies. The movie shown below is a giff file. AR 1158 unleashed an M class flare shortly after I began making the movie. Then, as soon as it began its burst, the clouds rolled in. still, the pre flare activity and peak output were recorded

This next movie is the same subject as above, but I used a large alignment box in registax when I executed an alignment of the final frames (see post on 12 Dec 2010 “how to make a solar movie”). Then I saved as alignment area instead of full frame. Registax cropped all the images from1024x768 to 512×512.

It seems the DMK 4102 is better suited for making time lapse movies. The pixel size of the 31is great for still images, but the large file size, and slower frame rates inhibit movie making and sharing. Wide views are nice, but I can remove the barlow from the nosepiece and get a wide view at 60fps.

The Hydrogen Alpha Sun in Hi Def

The DMK 32AU03 CCD imager provides some awesome wide views of the sun. I have been practicing with the new imager and tried making a few movies. Man, it creates some large files. Its difficult to share the hi def animations. But the dedicated solaholic will love the wide, detail rich views. The giff files will take a few minutes to load. The movie below was made at 1 minute intervals on 4 feb 2011 from 1832-2112 UT. It shows AR 1105 and AR 1152. AR1152 cuts loose a B class flare.

The movie below is another example of a hi def movie from the 31AU03. Too bad a dust bunny ruined the show

Activated Solar Prominence Movie

This movie shows an activated prominence. Some quiescent  prominences can exhibit a sudden increase in the movement and speed of its plasma, with speeds of 100 Km per second. It often signals an eruption, or disparition brusque. Approximately 1 hour after this movie ended, the prom shown in this flick blasted off the solar limb. The movie was made at 1 minute intervals on  4 Feb 2011. I used the Tak 102 and DMK 21AU04 CCD.

Solar Prominence 4 feb 2011 2049-2230 UT-Desktop

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Too bad I ran out of sky before it took off. The sun set behind my neighbors house and forced an end to the imaging session. Still, this clip shows the increase in movement and documents the nature of the prominence prior to disparition brusque.

Giant Filament Prominence

Giant Filament-Prominence

This giant filament prominence was visible on the SE limb on 27 Jan 2011. I made this movie at 1 minute intervals from 1816-1943 UT with the Tak 102, double stacked 75mm, and the DMK 41AU04. A new AR may be forming, and hot plage can be seen surging around a small area.

Filaprom 27 Jan 2011 1816-1943 UT

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Santa Ana winds made seeing poor in the morning, but the winds died down later in the day and a decent image was obtained. Focusing was tuff at first. Why do I use a front mounted filter instead of a dedicated solar scope? Awnser:  Little to no sweet spot, and the ability to integrate high grade optics into the imaging train. When I first began imaging the sun in H alpha several years ago, I used a double stacked PST with a gun decked motorized focuser.  Focusing was very, very difficult. And no focus aids like a Bhatinov Mask are available for H alpha. After I upgraded to the 75mm, I used it on a Meade series 5000 80EDT. Focusing was much easier, but still needed improvement. When I upgraded to the Takahashi TSA 102, I can see the view snap into focus.  With the Moonlite DC motor focus on the Tak 102, obtaining sharp images became much easier. I see a big difference in image quality of H alpha views in my high end Takahashi over the 80EDT. I think a great focus aid is good optics

Grains in the Chromosphere

Here we see 2 movies made from the light of the Calcium K line. It shows the middle levels of the chromospheres, and chromospheric grains, or bright points, are easily seen as small grainy flashes. Both movies were captured at 1 minute intervals using a Lunt CaK Diagonal on the Tak 102. The 31AU03 was used for a Hi Res wide view. The bottom movie was made on 21 Jan 2011 with the DMK41AU04, and shows a tighter view  

Hi Res Hydrogen alpha Movie AR1147-1149

I received a new DMK CCD imager, the DMK 31AU03. It has a much larger chip, but half the frame rate of the 41AU04. I tested the new device on 24 Jan 2011 and made this time lapse movie at 1 minute intervals from  1816-1956 UT. The clip shows AR1147-1149 near the limb, and I lightened the post processing a little to enhance the chromospheric details on the limb. The best view of this movie is obtained bya  right click of the mouse,select “save target as,” and download it to your computer.

AR1147-1149 24 Jan 2011c 1816-1956 UT

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 Im still learning the optimum settings for this new imager, and need to increase the contrast a little on the next imaging session.  Both good and bad performance issues came to light during the test run. The chip seemed to pick up H alpha fine, but traces of Newton’s rings are present.  The wide views in semi high def are great, but the files are quite large, and a frame rate of 30fps seemed quite slow after using the 60fps 41AU04. But when I play the full uncompressed movie at full screen, im quite pleased.

Hydrogen alpha Time Lapse Movie of an Emerging Sunspot

On 21 Jan 2011, AR 1147 had a new neighbor.  AR 1149 was poking  its magnetic flux tubes into the photosphere and chromospheres. The emerging sunspot crackled with flares. For 3 hours, the area pulsed with B and C class flares that were easily viewed as I watched on the computer screen. I made this time lapse movie at 1 minute intervals 1815-2111 UT.

Solar Flare AR1147 21 Jan 2011c 1815-2111 UT

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Many interesting features are visible in the movie, including active region filaments that jump and eject plasma. These ejections might appear as sprays, surges, and loops if they had been viewed on the limb. A flare can be seen as it rips the superpenumbra and penumbra of a sunspot. Here is an Xray plot showing the flare activity that day.