Solar Observations by Michael Oates

Now that I have an easy way of taking images of the Sun, with my Sony Mavica FD91 digital camera. I have decided to image the Sun on as many days as possible. All the images will be included below.

Well after doing this for 6 months I have decided to call it a day. I won't be updating this page with new images so often now. I think I have proved a point, in that if you really want to observe the Sun it is there to observe just about every day, and I live in Manchester UK, not known for it's Sunny days !!

The Sun

Latest Image


30th Sept 1999 08:40 UT

Observations

1999

Note: Any images are here because the image was taken through some cloud.

How are these images taken ?

I use a hand held digital camera - Sony Mavica FD91 with has a 14x optical zoom lens to which I add a 2x teleconverter. I use a full aperture BAADER AstroSolar filter, which should be available from the Stockport Binocular & Telescope Centre (Also from David Hinds) plus other astronomical outlets. It is an A4 sheet of aluminised plastic sheet, and costs £9.99. The filter I use is made up of 2 glass light yellow filters (camera filters) with the solar filter sandwiched between. I took the glass out of the mounting rings and placed then all back into one ring.

I set the camera to automatic spot metering with shutter priority of about 1/250th sec this together with the steady shot feature of the camera allows sharp images. The aperture is about F6.7.

Also see my Lunar images with the same camera and teleconverter.

Suppliers for the filter...

Stockport Binocular & Telescope Centre
Mercian Way, Edgeley, Sockport, SK3 9DF
Tel: 0161 429 8002

David Hinds Ltd
Unit 34 the Old Silk Mill, Brook Street, Tring, Herts, HP23 5EF
Tel: 01442 827768

Thousand Oaks Optical Solar filters can also be obtained from...
Thousand Oaks Optical
Box 4813, Thousand Oaks, California 91359, USA
Phone: (805) 491-3642 Fax: (805) 491-2393
E-mail: psteele@isle.net

Some Solar Links

Total Eclipse of the Sun
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Maintained by Michael Oates
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Last modified September 11, 2007