The sun imaged with a 203 mm f/7 newtonian with a Baader AstroSolar Film filter and a Nikon Coolpix 4500 digital camera through a 32 mm Televue Plossl eyepiece on October 28, 2003 showing the large sunspots 10486 (middle lower), 10488 (middle), and 10484 (right). Sunspot 10486 (see below) was the source of an intense solar flare about eight hours before this image was obtained.

    The Sun's photosphere shows a wealth of detail. Granulation and faculae are apparent, even at relatively small image sizes. Higher resolution shows the granulation more clearly and shows detail within the penumbrae of sunspots. 

A portion of the giant sunspot 10486 on October 28, 2003, 18:58 UT. 203 mm f/7 newtonian with a Baader AstroSolar Film filter and a Philips ToUcam webcam @ about f/20 with Edmund IR block. Seeing was poor.

    Most of my images of the Sun this far were obtained soon after the most recent Solar Maximum. The numbers of sunsposts should continue to decline for a number of years. 

    The Sun presents many difficulties in imaging. The light must be filtered before images can be obtained.  I use Baader AstroSolar Film purchased from Kendrick Astro Instruments (see the article by Alan MacRober "A New Standard in Solar Filters" in Sky & Telescope, September 2000, pp. 63-64). The heat from the Sun as well as the indirect heat that is radiating from nearby objects tend to create considerable air turbulence and degrade image quality. My scope is presently used on a concrete patio that gets very hot during summer days when the sun is high. This certainly contributes to poor seeing conditions. Moreover, the Sun heats up my scope, despite its cooling fan, and I'm probably getting strong tube currents. Arthur Whipple (see link to website below) operates his scope from a grassy area and has an open tube. This probably contributes to the success of his high resolution solar imaging.

Links

Arthur L. Whipple's Large Scale Sunspot Imaging - These are absolutely the best high resolution images of the sun that I've ever seen obtained by an amateur. The best were obtained with an 8" newtonian and a video camera.

British Astonomical Association, Solar Section

Books

"The New Solar System" edited by J. Kelly Beatty, Carolyn Petersen, and Andrew Chaikin