Here are animated sequences done with my personal solar telescope [PST]. This is a low cost starting instrument designed as an introduction to Hydrogen-alpha visual and imaging applications. I love my PST and where possible I use it every day for my visual records and some imaging applications.
20 December 2011 here is a C2.1-class solar flare that breaks across AR1376 and AR1377 complex, the sequence is between 11-49 and 12-19UT. Again I was Imaging through thin clouds. Seeing grade 2 to grade 4.
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18 December 2011 here is a flare that breaks across AR1376 AR1377 complex, the sequence between 11-50 and 12-34UT. Unfortunately clouds spoiled some of the frames. PST at 0.8 focal length.
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14 December 2011 here is a close look at the south-west limb on a very active area AR1367 between 11-10 and 12-14UT seeing a good grade 1. I was able to push the PST to 1.6m focal length and also the earlier sequence below in less favourable seeing at 0.8m focal length.
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14 December 2011 here is another look at the same region at 0.8m focal length. Seeing was a fairly poor grade 3. I was on a alt/azimuth mount and hand tracking so Photoshop used to reduce field rotation. Sequence between 09-35 and 10-45UT. Here you can also see a feint filament/prominence lift off from the surface.
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12 December 2011 here is a look at a huge prominence on the north-west limb between 14-36 and 15-44UT. The seeing was awful through thin clouds.
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11 December 2011 here is AR1374 between 12-36 and 13-36UT. Seeing grade 2 but strong gusting winds 30mph. Alt/azimuth mount and hand tracked so corrected for field rotation in Photoshop.
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10 December 2011 the clouds did not clear until 14-00UT, here is a sequence from 14-08 to 14-25UT showing a shell of plasma expanding away from the Sun. Seeing conditions grade 1, 20mph gusting winds.Captured from hand driven alt/azimuth mount and field rotation corrected in Photoshop CS5 prior to animating.
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6 December 2011 here is a look at AR1363 between 13-40 and 14-40UT. The seeing was an excellent grade 1 and so I pushed my PST out to 1.6m focal length to see just what it can deliver. This is only 40mm of aperture with lots of glass in the two 2 x Barlow lenses!
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5 December 2011 here is a second flare that I caught this time it breaks across AR1363 the sequence is between 15-13 and 15-37UT seeing was a reasonable grade 2.
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5 December 2011 here is a C2-class solar flare that breaks across AR1362, AR1363 can also be seen in the lower left of this frame. Sequence between 13-35 and 14-05UT seeing a reasonable grade 2.
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3 December 2011 here is a huge limb blast that I captured between 11-08 and 11-34UT. I had no time to set up the EQ-mount here so I was hand tracking on an alt-azimuth mount. Here is 27 frames in the sequence – Here I have now corrected for the field rotation and used Photoshop to correctly orientate this sequence.
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30 November 2011 here is a huge prominence that I photographed between 11-22 and 14-30UT. Seeing was an excellent grade 1 and not a cloud in the sky all day. I got video sequences every minute but to fit this onto this website I have only processed and animated every 4 minute frames.
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29 November 2011 here is some filament activity between 12-19 and 13-19UT. Seeing conditions grade 1 excellent.
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27 November 2011 here is a small flare that lifts a filament photographed between 11-15 and 11-32UT. here I set up very quickly on an alt/azimuth mount so no tracking. Seeing conditions grade 2.
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26 November 2011 here is the after effect of a limb flare photographed on an alt/azimuth mount [no tracking] in windy conditions seeing was between grade 1 and grade 2.
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25 November 2011 here is AR1358 and 1356 between 11-25 and 12-14UT showing filament activity. Grade 1 seeing conditions.
23 November 2011 here is AR1356 and 1355 between 12-03 and 12-30UT. Seeing conditions were an excellent grade 1 for thermal stability but thin clouds. Here I have experimented and pushed my old PST to the limit with two 2 x Barlow lenses making a focal length of 1.6m!
Here is another 23 November 2011 animation at 0.8m focal length of the same area between 10-08 and 10-54UT in heavier clouds.
16 November 2011, this was the aftermath of a limb flare at 15-15UT peak the sequence from 15-36 to 16-09UT. PST none tracking mount in good seeing conditions.
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15 November 2011, I took this with my PST from the Almeria area of Spain, was set up outside our caravan and only brought limited equipment. Here is AR1346 showing an M1-class flare between 12-52 and 13-26UT. Seeing grade 1 but very windy [gusts 40km/hour].
15 November 2011 here is a very long filament between 11-11 and 11-41UT. Seeing conditions excellent grade 1. Used old PST.
16 November 2011 this is the aftermath of a limb flare that peaked at 15.00UT here you see from 15-36 to 16-09UT showing some post flare looping. Seeing a good grade 1.
15 November 2011 here is an M1.9-class solar flare that broke across AR1346 between 12-52 and 13-26UT. Seeing good grade 1.
15 November 2011 here is a long filament between 11-11 and 11-41UT. Seeing good grade 1.
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Close up.
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22 October 2011, I took all my big scopes and put them into storage this morning. Got back mid afternoon and saw a huge post flare loop system so here is the result using my PST and DMK21 between 13-51 and 14-56UT, just missed main event while I was setting up. Seeing varied between grade 2 and grade 4 conditions. This is what we in the UK refer too as sods law!