The Cellar - Oct 30, 2010: Sun Farts

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- - Oct 30, 2010: Sun Farts (http://cellar.org/showthread.php?t=23838)

Oct 30, 2010: Sun Farts

Tomorrow being Halowe'en, when you'll be out howling at the moon, today we'll look at the sun.
Well not directly 'cause you'd burn your eyes out... before you even get that Christmas BB Gun. We'll look at a picture Alan Friedman took.

Quote:

In this picture you can see sunspots, giant convection cells, and the gas that follows magnetic loops piercing the Sun’s surface. When we see them against the Sun’s surface they’re called filaments, and when they arc against the background sky on the edge of the Sun’s disk they’re called prominences.

The image he took is amazingly high-resolution! He has two closeups, one of the filament and sunspot near the edge of the disk on the left, and the other of prominences leaping up off the edge and silhouetted against the sky.

http://cellar.org/2010/sunfarts1.jpg

Quote:

See that little bright spot on the plume on the left, just above the Sun’s edge? That spot is the same size as the Earth. The (inset) image to the right should make that fairly clear; I made the Earth pretty close to the right size for comparison. Our planet is about 13,000 km (8000 miles) in diameter, so that one minor prominence is roughly 50,000 km high. That’s 30,000 miles. And it’s positively dwarfed by the Sun itself. A million Earths could fit inside the Sun.

Since the Sun is so damn bright and far and wiggly, he must have used some gazillion dollar telescope on top of a mountain somewhere, right?

Nope, this is it.
http://cellar.org/2010/sunfarts2.jpg

link

Quote:

gazillion dollar telescope

No.. But you're probably looking at about $25k right there. Just the Hydrogen Alpha filter on the front was $5k.

$25k? To bring you an informative and breathtaking IOtD? Peanuts. :lol2:

SPUCK, how do you know of such exotic gear, are you into telescopes? How about telescope photography? Is there a filter for the bedroom curtains of the widow woman across the street?

Yeah, warm and fuzzy blanket.

The inch weighs in:
"That doesn't look like a ball of fire, it looks like cloth."

I want to catapult people into it. Not all of them, just a few carefully selected individuals.

Miasma
n. pl. mi·as·mas or mi·as·ma·ta

1. A noxious atmosphere or influence

2.
a. A poisonous atmosphere formerly thought to rise from swamps and putrid matter and cause disease.
b. A thick vaporous atmosphere or emanation

Ah, yes... that DVD is on heavy rotation in our house.

Quote:

Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce (Post 691535)

SPUCK, how do you know of such exotic gear, are you into telescopes?

To some extent, Yes. I have a 17" Newtonian.

Quote:

Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce (Post 691535)

How about telescope photography? Is there a filter for the bedroom curtains of the widow woman across the street?

Yes, her curtains make a fine filter against your photographing Her.

He could be forgiven, upon examining the view thru the 'scope, for exclaiming ... "Great balls of fire!! .." :D

Quote:

Originally Posted by SPUCK (Post 691729)

To some extent, Yes. I have a 17" Newtonian.

Please don't forget to post pictures, if you get some, there are several members that are space/star fans. :thumb:

I've never tried taking pics through my telescope. Maybe I'll try it tonite. Whaddaya do... just hold the camera against the eyepiece?