Sunspots

Had a mix of clouds and sunshine today, managed to get a clear picture of the surface of the sun.

I purchased a special material to make a solar filter for photography prior to the eclipse. We were clouded out, so I didn’t get to use it that day.

But today we had some sunshine, and I managed to get a sharp, stable image of the sun’s surface. Many of the images were muddled by atmospheric turbulence, but if you take a lot of shots you can eventually get one that holds up.

(The heat from the sun heats the air, creating all kinds of movement. The cells of air have different temperatures, and this refracts the light in strange ways. The result here, with a 300mm f/2.8 lens with 2x extender, so 600mm focal length, is really a good stroke of luck.)

We are near solar maximum, so there is a lot of activity on the sun. Quite a few sunspots in quite a few groups.