Posts Made By: Paul Hyndman

Hello All,

The rains have finally stopped here... hallelujah and A-men!

I'm cleaning up some loose ends before heading out to NEAF tomorrow (more toys...
more joys!) but wanted to share an image with you before I hit the sack.

I now have an adapter plate for my AP Traveler and it is a real joy to finally be able
to adjust the tuner while at the eyepiece! There are still some details to iron out with
this setup, but at least it is now producing images.

Here's a single image from today's session, bilaterally processed using normal and
heightened boost. The image data from the unprocessed file ran nicely almost the full
length of the histogram with almost no streching required, so coaxing the fainter proms
was not too difficult (I usually take solar H-a from two exposure levels)

It still needs final touches, but here's a 50% size version of the results
(notice the "hair" along the limbs... nice spiking all around the circumference today!)
Taken via a 4" AP Traveler/2X Powermate:

I also grabbed some 4X Powermate shots from this session, but they're too darned
large to tackle tonight.

Image processed using Images Plus and Adobe PhotoShop CS.

Cheers,

Paul

--- http://www.astro-nut.com ---

Hi All,

I've been tweaking my solar H-a techniques in preparation for the Venus transit, though
the weather here has not been obliging the collection of new test images. Here's a slightly
different twist on the first light image gathered earlier this month (a single image taken
with: AP Traveler, Coronado SolarMax 90, TeleVue 2X Powermate, SBG STL11000M, downsized
approx 50%)

The "hair" along the limbs had a muddier color in the previous version, so the LRGB basis
for that portion (proms/spicules/corona) was shifted to increase the Red weighting, hopefully
with a more natural looking transition (it's all theatrics, since the image is a colorized
monochrome, but you get the idea )

A little atmospheric skitteriness due to the longish exposure time. A linear polarizing
pair was used to knock down the signal enough so as to not saturate at the 0.01 second
minimal exposure time. Matt L. (SBIG) has kindly rewritten the drivers to allow for a 0.001
second min exposure now (WooHoo!), hopefully eliminating the need for additional signal reduction.

Yesterday's clear skies here would have allowed capturing another batch of test images,
but a prior commitment for an Astronomy Day for a show 'n tell (limited to visual observation).
The session was a real hoot though, and the attendees seemed suitably impressed (two long
filaments, a very prominent prominence, some plage, loads of hairy spicules and other visual goodies)

Cheers,

Paul

--- http://www.astro-nut.com ---

Hi All,

Having recently made a move to an SBIG STL11000M CCD, one of the challenges was an
exposure minimum of 0.01 seconds... too long given the high sensitivity of the camera. Matt L,
(SBIG engineering/software) came to the rescue with a driver patch which allows the
exposures to be reduced to 0.001 seconds, and I'm pleased to report that it works like a charm!

There's enough headroom to reduce the image intensity even below the threshold produced via
my brightest (2X Powermate) solar H-a sessions, without additonal filtering!

Briefly:

With a 2X Powermate and 1x1 binning, optimal dynamic range for the solar disk comes in at around
0.004 seconds (0.005 causing the white level to just bump into saturation, 0.004 putting things
around 64K, and 0.003 a tad below 60K, on a range of 0 to 65,535.)

The 4X Powermate and stacked 4X/2X Powermates even allow 2x2 binning now.

The image below is a quickie from one of the 2X Powermate shots @0.004seconds (AP
Traveler/Solarmax 90/single image taken 29-Apr-04)... no additional polarizing pair or
knock-down filters used!

Gotta' hit the road now... early day today (yawwwwn!)

Paul


--- http://www.astro-nut.com ---

Hi All,

More info on this image in the Astromart CCD Imaging and Processing section at:

http://astromart.com/messages.asp?message_id=206179&page=

Paul


--- http://www.astro-nut.com ---

For those of you who are eagerly looking forward to the June 8th Venus transit (and
aren't we all!), but are fearful that the whims of Mother Nature or other tragedies might
derail your plans, I submit the following...

Using the latest in computer technology (uhhh... that would be PhotoShop), this is my
best guess as to how Venus transversing the face of the sun will appear, with special
attention given to the limb detail (see image below)!

Yeah... I know, I know, just trying to lighten things up a tad! It will be a wonderous
thing to behold the transit in H-a, but as us veteran solar-geeks can attest:
There are 364 other days in the year that the sun will be doing its thing, and H-a
is NEVER boring (always something going on!)

And you might be surprised that many if not most H-a "addicts" (as most of you will
likely become) eventually develop the "need" for more horsepower and will upgrade their
systems. Doesn't it then make sense that a conscientious company would make that path as
painless and accessible as possible? Coronado should be praised for doing this, and though
you might now feel a little angst while waiting, the path to upgradability is something many
of you will certainly come to appreciate down the road.

The 8th of June shall soon be upon us, and just as quickly will pass and be gone*, but
the thrill of solar H-a will be with you long after... Honest!
(*ala "The Moody Blues")

Another thing that might surprise you is that more than a few of us with larger H-a
setups are looking forward acquiring a PST as well. As a "Personal Solar Telescope", it
promises to be a real hoot for those occassions where a "solar fix" needs tending NOW!

Okay... off da' soapbox!

To see the other two slices that accompany the one below (and the rest of the "pie"
for that matter), go to:

http://www.astro-nut.com/sun-ha-04apr29.html

... and that's why we LOVE solar H-a!

Cheers,

Paul

Hi All,

Cruddy weather and a long work day... again (sigh!) But I did get the chance to plonk the
H-a filter and binoviewer onto the scope long enough to entertain a few neighbors and click
off a handful of shots through the haze before the sun bid farewell. I haven't had time to bugger
around with the surface portions yet, hence the psuedo-occulting disk (big black circle )

4" AP Traveler, Coronado SolarMax 90 w/T-max, SBIG STL11000M, single exposure
@0.004seconds.

Cheers,

Paul

Hi All,

Cruddy weather and a long work day... again (sigh!) But I did get the chance to plonk the
H-a filter and binoviewer onto the scope long enough to entertain a few neighbors and click
off a handful of shots through the haze before the sun bid farewell. I haven't had time to bugger
around with the surface portions yet, hence the psuedo-occulting disk (big black circle )

4" AP Traveler, Coronado SolarMax 90 w/T-max, SBIG STL11000M, single exposure
@0.004seconds.

Cheers,

Paul

Aloha!

With this afternoon's brief respite from doom 'n gloom*, the sun
beckoned me to come out and play before tackling yard work and
other responsibilities (good thing I'm not responsible, huh? )

It was a "golden" opportunity to fine tune few procedures
and preflight some new gadgets before the transit. A Baader
white-light filter on the finder-scope helped to keep the
2600 pixel diameter disk (via a 4X Powermate) properly
framed in the 2672 x 4008 pixel array, which provides a
humongous image scale, with loads of sizzle and pop!

Not too much going on today filament wise, and I've not yet
checked the images for prominence activity, but was drawn
to AR0618 while perusing the catch du jour. I probably won't
get around to processing any of the full-disk images, but did
punch out a quickie of the AR from one of the 20 full-disk
images captured on this run. A lot of fuzz around those puppies
(809 x 526 pixels cropped from the full disk image seen in the
inset below . AP Traveler, Coronado Solarmax90, TeleVue 4X
Powermate, SBIG STL11K, AP600 GTO, CCDOPS, Images Plus,
Adobe PhotoShopCS):



* Gloom = more cloudy/rainy days than ever... maybe it'll be
rained out by the 8th though, huh? :

Doom = I heard a strange trickling sound while on the computer a
few nights back. Further sleuthing led to one of the upstairs
bathrooms, where a toilet tank developed a hairline crack and
saturated the floor to the extent that water was dripping from
a downstairs lighting fixture (Aww shoooot!) Oh well,
I'd been meaning to remodel that bath anyway (sigh), but was
hoping to do it on MY terms!

On a positive note, I am now toilet trained! Uh... perhaps
I should re-state that... Owing to federal requirements for
new installations, I am now an expert on low GPF toilet specifications
and foibles."

Cheers,

Paul (who is feeling somewhat flushed, thank you!)

Aloha!

With this afternoon's brief respite from doom 'n gloom*, the sun
beckoned me to come out and play before tackling yard work and
other responsibilities (good thing I'm not responsible, huh? )

It was a "golden" opportunity to fine tune few procedures
and preflight some new gadgets before the transit. A Baader
white-light filter on the finder-scope helped to keep the
2600 pixel diameter disk (via a 4X Powermate) properly
framed in the 2672 x 4008 pixel array, which provides a
humongous image scale, with loads of sizzle and pop!

Not too much going on today filament wise, and I've not yet
checked the images for prominence activity, but was drawn
to AR0618 while perusing the catch du jour. I probably won't
get around to processing any of the full-disk images, but did
punch out a quickie of the AR from one of the 20 full-disk
images captured on this run. A lot of fuzz around those puppies
(809 x 526 pixels cropped from the full disk image seen in the
inset below . AP Traveler, Coronado Solarmax90, TeleVue 4X
Powermate, SBIG STL11K, AP600 GTO, CCDOPS, Images Plus,
Adobe PhotoShopCS):



* Gloom = more cloudy/rainy days than ever... maybe it'll be
rained out by the 8th though, huh? :

Doom = I heard a strange trickling sound while on the computer a
few nights back. Further sleuthing led to one of the upstairs
bathrooms, where a toilet tank developed a hairline crack and
saturated the floor to the extent that water was dripping from
a downstairs lighting fixture (Aww shoooot!) Oh well,
I'd been meaning to remodel that bath anyway (sigh), but was
hoping to do it on MY terms!

On a positive note, I am now toilet trained! Uh... perhaps
I should re-state that... Owing to federal requirements for
new installations, I am now an expert on low GPF toilet specifications
and foibles."

Cheers,

Paul (who is feeling somewhat flushed, thank you!)

--- http://www.astro-nut.com ---

Tom M (Hi Tom) brought up the interesting aspect of solar H-a/white-light relationships in another thread, and it occurred to me that newer H-a users may not be aware of the differences and/or similarities present in each.

Active Regions in the underlying photosphere (viewable in white-light) are usually visible above in the chromosphere as well, and are sometimes partially encircled with bright areas of plage and eyebrow shaped filaments strewn nearby.

Sometimes the difference between activity in the photosphere and chromosphere can be extreme, with the latter ablaze with H-a activity, but nary a blemish to be seen in white-light (use mouse to move cursor over the image to "blink" between the two modes) :

http://www.astro-nut.com/sun-ha-02dec27.html

Even on "normal" days, the activity can vary:

http://www.astro-nut.com/sun-blink-03oct25.html

But of one thing you can be assured: the sun NEVER sleeps when it comes to H-a... in the years I've been viewing in this medium, I have never had a session where there was not something of interest going on!

Paul

--- http://www.astro-nut.com ---