Two neat photos today from Dr. Bateson’s Gold Run observatory.The doctor took these two photos with a Nikon D-90 through a Televue 85mm apochromatic refractor, using hydrogen alpha filters that actually show the flares on the limb of the sun.
These photos show some prominences, some magnetic filaments and a sun spot. A solar prominence is an arc of gas that erupts from the surface of the Sun.
These prominences can loop hundreds of thousands of miles into space and are held above the Sun’s surface by strong magnetic fields lasting for many months. At some time in their existence, most prominences will erupt, ejecting enormous amounts of solar material into space.
Now Dr. Bateson is just waiting for a big solar flare to take a picture of.
