The image of the Sun was quite unsteady today, and things were made worse by the wind blowing the Solarscope about. No spots or other markings were visible on the Sun.

No spots or other markings were visible on the Sun.

Conditions were pretty terrible (hence the reason I didn't get the Solarscope out to do a sunspot count). Although I did have a short break in the clouds the sky that was clear was still very hazy. Despite this, using a pair of eclipse shades, I could just make out the biggest sunspot associated with active area 904. This is the first naked-eye sunspot I've seen for some time.

Conditions were pretty bad (although not quite as bad as yesterday) but briefly clear enough that a view with the Solarscope was possible. Right away I could see active area 904. The main feature of the area was a very large spot that had a very dark umbra. Its penumbra was also very impressive with some detail in it visible — its outer edge also seemed to be quite dark and very well defined.

Close by was a pair of very dark spots which appeared to be sharing a common penumbra. Both of them also had a very dark looking umbra.

As well as the three big spots I could also make out three smaller spots close by.

Because the area was so impressive I went inside to get a pencil and some paper so that I could make a sketch but, by the time I got back outside, the gap in the clouds had passed and there was no sign of another gap coming up. Also, because of this, I never got to try another naked-eye view.

I started by having a look at the Sun with the naked eye and a pair of eclipse shades. I could see the largest spot in active area 904 with no trouble at all.

Next I pointed the Solarscope at the Sun. At first glance the area didn't look too different from yesterday. The biggest spot still had an impressively dark umbra and a nicely defined penumbra. Close by I could see a single, very faint spot-like mark — I didn't count this as a spot.

The smaller pair of spots that I noted yesterday appeared to be a pair of pairs today (perhaps they were yesterday but the viewing conditions made it impossible for me to tell?). Each pair appeared to have a common penumbra and the penumbras of those pairs appeared to be joined.

I quickly made the following sketch of the Sun in general:

I then attempted to sketch AA904 in a little more detail:

The count was quite tricky today due to the wind blowing the Solarscope about. However, despite this, I could see a single large spot in active area 904. No detail could be seen, possibly due to the conditions but mostly down to it being very close to the limb (I expect that it won't be visible tomorrow).

A short while later I noticed what appeared to be another spot on the opposite limb. Because it looked like there was a small, shallow "bite" out of the limb I first took it to be an obstruction in the Solarscope somewhere. I rotated the tube and moved things about a little but it stayed in the same place suggesting that it really was a new spot, right on the limb.

I then checked online and a couple of space weather sites had evidence of it but no ID was noted (in fact, SpaceWeather.com were showing it with a question mark against it).

Some time later I found out that it had been given the ID 905.

Active area 904 was no longer visible, it having gone around the limb of the Sun.

Active area 905 was very easy to see. Today I could see two spots in the area. One reasonably large one with an obvious penumbra and a smaller one with no obvious penumbra.

Active area 905 was still visible with no problems. I could see two reasonably large spots very close together, sharing a common penumbra. I could also see a third spot close by, smaller than the other two with no obvious penumbra.

Using a pair of eclipse shades I checked the Sun with the naked eye and could, just, make out a small dark spot which would have been the two bigger spots I mention above.