2005-08-28

First test of the Solarscope. Sky was mostly clear, just a few clouds about. Quite windy.

The Sun was very easy to locate with the 'scope and, after a couple of adjustments, was easy to focus too. I could see at least four groups of sunspots. One group, close to the limb (not sure of the actual location on the face of the Sun — working out the orientation of the Sun through this device is something I'm going to have to sort out), had a very obvious "mottling" effect around it. Right round the limb of the Sun the colour was more of a slight yellow/brown when compared to the bright white of the main part of the disk. The "mottling" looked like white ripples sat in the yellow/brown coloured part of the disk.

I would have attempted a sketch of this effect and the location of the sunspot group associated with this effect but, because it was so windy, it would have been hard as the Solarscope would have blown away without me holding it down. Something I'm going to need to do is figure out a good way of recording observations when using this device.

Packed up at around 14:30 UT.

Subsequent checking showed that I was seeing sunspots 800, 801, 803 and 805.