Cloud Break

[pursuer]

Well what can I say, Im still on one of my astrophotograpy kicks, one of these days I will get around to taking a photo of something not in the sky.

 

[Arch]

wow.....that flare looks much more detailed this time, awsome shot :thumbup:

 

[woodsac]

Keep on man! You are showing us something that we could normally only see in books
This one is great with the unsually large prominence (I got that from you) :mrgreen:

 

[pursuer]

Thanks guys

 

[Chiller]

WOW... just awesome. Keep on posting ...they are amazing.

 

[mentos_007]

wow wonderful... but... hell.. tell me what do I see here? except of the cloud... is this ... the SUN?!

 

[PlasticSpanner]

"Great Balls of Fire!"

Nice shot there! :thumbup: I like the inclusion of the cloud too!

You using a Mylar filter for these or something else?

 

[ClarkKent]

Holy cow! I have always wondered what the sun looks like that close. And I have been wondering how to get started in photographing that stuff, and what equipment to use.

 

[darin3200]

Awesome, i love the flares. What did you do prevent damage to the camera with that much light?

 

[pursuer]

Thanks again everyone, Mentos that is indeed our sun

Chris I am using Coronado's PST (personal solar telescope) which is a dedicated hydrogen alpha filtered telescope. Mylar or any other "white light" filter won't reveal the prominences (flare like protrusions) or filaments (dark squiggly lines)

Clarkkent, if you want to photograph the sun make sure you use some kind of proper solar filter. If there were large sun spots on the surface of the sun you could get a picture of them using a long lens and #14 or darker welding glass. Alternativly there are ways to project the sun's surface onto white paper using a pin hole camera, but this method will only show you fairly large sunspots.

This is a picture of a large sunspot from last year taken with a 200mm lens, I simply used a plume of steam from a local refinery as an improvised filter.

The trouble is the sun is at its most quiet point in its 11 year cycle so sunspots of any size are few and far between right now.

If you really want to take detailed photograhs of the sun you will need some kind of telescope and a proper solar filter. White light filters like plasticspanner metioned will show you sunspot groups and surface grainulation, but thats it. To see the prominences, filaments, flares and other good stuff you will need an Ha (hydorgen alpha) filter, they are more exspensive then white light filters but they are the only way to see these features.
There is also a CaK (Calcium K) filter around the same price range as Ha filters. These show a different part of the sun's atmosphere then Ha but they are less popular and not as interesting.

The larger the telescope you use the more detail you will capture. However prices rise quickly the larger you go, especially with Ha. The 40mm PST I use starts around $700 CDN, Coronado's 70mm Ha scope goes for $4300 and by the time your up to 90mm your talking $16,000. LOL hopfilly I will win the lottery someday.

 

[JTHphoto]

another awesome shot pursuer, i always look forward to these...