Since I work from home again, my observatory is right outside my office door, and I can run out between emails and phone calls and see what the sun is doing. Today, there is a sunspot grouping called AR11089 (AR=active region; this numbering scheme was started by NOAA in 1972) that is visible enough for me to focus on with my P&S camera through the spotting scope:
The image itself isn’t all that spectacular, is it? Even when I blow up the region itself, it leaves a little to be desired:
White-light imaging through a homemade Baader filter without even a parasol for shade? This is classic low-budget observing. But for all that, you can make out the sunspot, can’t you? If you want to see more beautiful images, like this one of the same region taken two days ago, you really need to have some specialized equipment, using some gear that I’ll never be able to afford. But barring an unforeseen lottery windfall, I’ll just have to do the best I can with what I’ve got. I know I’ve got a good parasol around somewhere, for example, and I bet I could set up my CG-5 mount for better stability… Now where did I put that duct tape?
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