Interesting photo of the Sun...

[kcredden]

Got something in the mail today, that may be of interest to some here.

SPACESHIP SILHOUETTES: Yesterday, the space shuttle Atlantis undocked from the International Space Station (ISS). Amateur astronomer Thierry Legault caught the two spaceships separating directly in front of the sun:

More here: (http://spaceweather.com/)

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A note of pure geek. If you got FireFox, and the "scale images" setting set, click on the image with the ISS. Wait till it loads fully, then putting the spyglass icon on the tiny black dot, it'll enlarge just that section. Try another...go to the edge of the sun on the left, and go down a few degrees, then click on it. You may see sunspot #910 just peeking around the edge.

yeah, I'm totally a geek, and proud of it! :)

[tkcomer]

I wonder what kind of rig he was using to take that pic? I bet it was a high dollar outfit. I’m trying to remember some pics taken by an amateur a while back. I looked the scope up. $34000! And that didn’t include the camera!

[kcredden]

Taken from pure experience, I think the cost would be more in the range of around $800. You'd need a rather large scope to take a photo of the sun with that sort of resolution - I'd say about at least an 8" reflector. Which can be bought for about $350 or so, a good camera - $300 or so (Had to be one that you can screw an eyepiece adapter, so not one of those little digitals, but at least a cheap digial, or film SLR), and the eyepiece adaptor wouldn't be more than $50. The solar filter - that is a *good* glass one, would be around $200. Ok, total about $900. Not really sure of the cost of a camera, mind you.

The beauty of solar observation, is that you can do photos in less than a second. So you don't need a really expensive, equatorial mount, which could run you well into the $3000 range. When I see folks super sized 20" or bigger telescopes, with their computer control, taking photos rivaling big observatories, I can't help but to look like an idiot :)

I wonder what kind of rig he was using to take that pic? I bet it was a high dollar outfit. I’m trying to remember some pics taken by an amateur a while back. I looked the scope up. $34000! And that didn’t include the camera!

[tkcomer]

Jeeze. I think it was Time magazine that had some amateur astrologists featured. The setups they had were unbelievable. And I look at the moon with binoculars.

[kcredden]

[chuckles] That sounds like a big-time magazine. They wouldn't run a story without something to make people's jaws fall open (Like mine) but yes, you can do decient solar photography with a cheap set-up. Heck, my first views of the sun, was with a $200 4" reflector, and a $100 glass solar filter. I still use that today to record sunspot numbers. I can use the behemoth I have out in the garage (a 13" 300 lb monster) but the solar filter would run about $500, which I don't have at present.

Keep enjoying lady Luna and the universe with binoculars. It's a grand sight.

Jeeze. I think it was Time magazine that had some amateur astrologists featured. The setups they had were unbelievable. And I look at the moon with binoculars.