16th September 2019 Solar promenading.

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Monday: Lots of cloud but blue patches offer hope. I am set up for H-a imaging but still waiting for a clearing to check for proms at 2 o'clock and 8.00. Gong Ha suggests yesterday's prom is still there at 2.00 on the limb.

I used the paddle to drive around the solar limb with the gain set high enough to show any proms. Eventually there was enough sun to capture some videos. I tried tilting the D-ERF to kill the off axis glare without obvious effect. Then I tried the camera tilt plate with slightly more success.

The seeing conditions are poor again. The image on the left is of the 2 o'clock prom. The others are spread around 8 o'clock. I am struggling against cloud and a milky sky again.

Image orientation can be easily changed by rotating the camera around its axis. To make sense of prominences on a particular day one ought to try to match the positions shown on Gong Ha. I normally use the hours of a clock to remember which prom goes where. The cable exit from the camera body is a handy marker for monitoring orientation.

The next image [left] was taken mid afternoon of the 2 o'clock proms. A detached fringe is just visible at lower right. The poor seeing conditions do not allow fine detail. The image right using 2% of 3000 frames at 120fps with more gentle handling is slightly less crude. There was a definite high frequency vibration to the seeing on the monitor.

Tuesday: Clear blue skies and the promise of proms had me crossing the yard to the dome. No sooner had I set up than the rain started and the temperature dropped like a snowball. I sat there as it reached 46F with hail thundering on the dome and not enough warm clothes. As soon as the racket ceased I headed back indoors to retrieve my winter [workshop] down jacket and to warm up. I have had the black jacket for years after paying about a fiver equivalent in a charity shop. It is big enough to go over any winter clothes, leaks a bit, but is still warm. Brief blue skies keep returning to tease me but I'm not being caught out so easily again.
 

Click on any image for an enlargement.

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