{"id":1146,"date":"2014-12-15T16:17:07","date_gmt":"2014-12-15T16:17:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dev.austrinus.com\/?p=1146"},"modified":"2022-11-08T17:28:29","modified_gmt":"2022-11-08T17:28:29","slug":"observacion-solar","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/austrinus.com\/en\/observacion-solar\/","title":{"rendered":"solar observation"},"content":{"rendered":"<p align=\"justify\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright wp-image-2877\" src=\"http:\/\/austrinus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/sun-icon-300x262.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"150\" height=\"131\" srcset=\"https:\/\/austrinus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/sun-icon-300x262.jpg 300w, https:\/\/austrinus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/sun-icon.jpg 515w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" \/>Observing the Sun is an activity that many amateurs do, and contrary to what it may seem, it can be quite rewarding and attractive. Our star does not remain unchanged, but from time to time changes occur on its surface, which can be appreciated with a telescope or binoculars. The most characteristic is the presence of\u00a0<strong>Sunspots<\/strong>, colder areas of the Sun that constitute sources of high\u00a0<em>magnetic activity<\/em>\u00a0and they are of special interest to astronomers who professionally study our star. The observation of sunspots is interesting for the amateur, since it is possible to follow them over the days and notice their changes, both in size, shape and movement on the surface, from which it can even be obtained!<em>the rotation period of the Sun!<\/em>\u00a0Therefore, observing solar activity can be extremely interesting and entertaining.<\/p>\n<p align=\"justify\">Additionally, solar observation can also be used for moments of special interest: solar eclipses (total, annular or partial) and\u00a0<em>transits<\/em>\u00a0of Mercury and Venus. They undoubtedly represent a very good experience and allow us to closely study these phenomena, which we only sometimes have the opportunity to witness. Before starting with the instructions, pay attention to this warning!<\/p>\n<table border=\"1\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"text-align: justify;\">\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">NEVER look straight at the Sun. <em>Prolonged exposure to the naked eye can cause irreversible damage to vision; Exposure through a telescope eyepiece, finderscope or binoculars, even for fractions of a second, can cause permanent blindness<\/em><\/span>.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p align=\"justify\">Now, once the warning has been given, we can continue. To carry out solar observation, the following tools are needed:<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright\" title=\"Tools for observing the Sun\" src=\"http:\/\/austrinus.com\/resources\/img\/herramientas_sol.jpg\" alt=\"Herramientas para observar el Sol\" width=\"120\" height=\"150\" \/><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<div align=\"justify\">Optical instrument (telescope or binoculars)<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<div align=\"justify\">20mm eyepieces (for telescope)<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<div align=\"justify\">Registration log<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<div align=\"justify\">White cardboard<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<div align=\"justify\">Graphite pencil<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<div align=\"justify\">Compass<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<div align=\"justify\">Reference images<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p align=\"justify\"><!--nextpage--><\/p>\n<p align=\"justify\"><strong>Observation method<\/strong><\/p>\n<p align=\"justify\">The method that will be explained here to observe the Sun is called projection, which basically consists of projecting the image of an eyepiece (telescope or binoculars) on a smooth, white surface, located so that the image hits the surface perpendicularly. For the purposes of this tutorial, white cardboard, about\u00a0<strong>20x30cm<\/strong>, to which a circle of\u00a0<em>16cm diameter<\/em>, using the compass. In addition, there must be a log to record the observations, which can be in a separate notebook or sheet, or use the same sheet where the Sun will be projected. The objective of this log is to record the changes that occur, if the amateur seeks make sustained monitoring of the Sun over time.<\/p>\n<p>If this is the case, the log must contain the following data:\u00a0<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright\" title=\"Sun observation log\" src=\"http:\/\/austrinus.com\/resources\/img\/proyeccion_sol_2.jpg\" alt=\"Bit\u00e1cora de observaci\u00f3n del Sol\" width=\"200\" height=\"150\" \/><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<div align=\"justify\">Observer(s) (if observations are made together, or in turns)<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<div align=\"justify\">Observation date<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<div align=\"justify\">Time of observation, in UT\u00a0<strong>*<\/strong><\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<div align=\"justify\">Seeing\u00a0<strong>**<\/strong><\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<div align=\"justify\">Spot(s) observed (fictitious name(s))<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<div align=\"justify\">Location of stain\/s<strong>\u00a0***<\/strong><\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<div align=\"justify\">Comments<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p align=\"justify\"><strong>*<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0<strong>U.T.<\/strong>: Universal Time (<em>Universal time<\/em>); It is the same as GMT (Greenwich Mean Time), therefore to obtain the UT you only have to subtract the local time zone (e.g. for Chile the time zone is -3 in summer, therefore if locally it is 8:30 pm, in UT it&#039;s 5:30 pm).<\/p>\n<p><strong>**<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0<strong>Seeing<\/strong>: It is an estimate of the quality of the sky at the time of observation, which for practical purposes can be totally qualitative, but following a guideline; from 1 to 5, in descending order the quality of the sky will be recorded (e.g.\u00a0<em><strong>Seeing<\/strong><strong>5<\/strong><\/em>=\u00a0<em>Completely clear sky<\/em>;\u00a0<strong><em>Seeing 3<\/em><\/strong>=\u00a0<em>Partly cloudy sky<\/em>;\u00a0<em><strong>Seeing 1<\/strong><\/em>=\u00a0<em>Totally cloudy sky, impossible to observe<\/em>).<\/p>\n<p><strong>***<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0<strong>Location<\/strong>: If you want to make more precise monitoring, a graduated circle with latitudes and longitudes can be used, in order to locate the spots observed at certain coordinates and monitor their movement more precisely. You can download an example of a graduated circle at the end of this tutorial.<\/p>\n<table border=\"1\" align=\"center\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>\u00a0<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"\" title=\"Telescope projection\" src=\"http:\/\/austrinus.com\/resources\/img\/proyeccion_telescopio.jpg\" alt=\"Proyecci\u00f3n por telescopio\" width=\"230\" height=\"170\" \/><\/td>\n<td>\u00a0<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"\" title=\"Binocular projection\" src=\"http:\/\/austrinus.com\/resources\/img\/proyeccion_binoculares.jpg\" alt=\"Proyecci\u00f3n por binoculares\" width=\"213\" height=\"146\" \/><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p align=\"justify\"><!--nextpage--><\/p>\n<p align=\"justify\"><strong><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-medium\" src=\"http:\/\/austrinus.com\/resources\/img\/1_paso.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"138\" height=\"150\" \/>Starting to observe<\/strong><\/p>\n<p align=\"justify\"><strong>1st Step<\/strong>. Although it is not strictly necessary, but it will optimize your observation, it is convenient to have a second piece of cardboard, as an &quot;umbrella&quot;, if you are using a refractor telescope. For this, use a piece of cardboard of about 20 x 20 cm with holes in the center, so that it can be adjusted to the telescope tube like a &quot;umbrella&quot;.<em>parasol<\/em>\u00ab, giving a shadow field over the image for better contrast. If you are using binoculars or another type of telescope, try to have a shadow around the projected image (e.g. you could place the cardboard to be projected inside a shoe box, so that the box itself casts a shadow).<\/p>\n<p><strong><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright\" title=\"2nd Step\" src=\"http:\/\/austrinus.com\/resources\/img\/2_paso.jpg\" alt=\"2\u00b0 Paso\" width=\"128\" height=\"150\" \/><\/strong><\/p>\n<p align=\"justify\"><strong>2nd Step<\/strong>. Maneuvering carefully, point the optical instrument towards the Sun. Remember to have previously removed the finderscope in the case of a telescope, as you will not need it. To ensure that the telescope points at the Sun you only have to\u00a0<em>guide you by its shadow<\/em>, that is, until the shadow cast is circular. Once this is achieved, secure the instrument, center the target and focus the eyepiece (in the case of telescopes, a 20 mm eyepiece is recommended to ensure that the entire solar disk is contained in the projection). Remember that due to the Earth&#039;s rotation, you will have to manually &quot;follow&quot; the Sun when it moves away from the eyepiece field, unless you have a motorized mount. However, it is advisable to cover the telescope\/binocular after a few minutes so that the eyepiece\/lens can rest and there is no risk of overheating (remember that they are concentrating all the light from the Sun!).<\/p>\n<p align=\"justify\"><strong><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright\" title=\"3rd Step\" src=\"http:\/\/austrinus.com\/resources\/img\/3_paso.jpg\" alt=\"3\u00b0 Paso\" width=\"126\" height=\"150\" \/>3rd Step<\/strong>. Simply adjust the circle drawn on the cardboard to about\u00a0<em>25~30cm<\/em>\u00a0of the telescope eyepiece or binoculars, until the projected image is in focus and fits perfectly in the circle. Once achieved, and making sure that the surface moves as little as possible, you can now draw the sunspots (if there are any) with a graphite pencil. Remember that some sunspots are made up of surrounding umbra and penumbra, which are darker and lighter areas respectively. As soon as you mark the stains, record them in the logbook, recording the data obtained.<\/p>\n<p align=\"justify\"><!--nextpage--><\/p>\n<p align=\"justify\"><strong>You are already observing the Sun!<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright\" title=\"You are already observing the Sun!\" src=\"http:\/\/austrinus.com\/resources\/img\/observando_sol.jpg\" alt=\"\u00a1Ya est\u00e1s observando el Sol!\" width=\"200\" height=\"150\" \/><\/strong><\/p>\n<p align=\"justify\">Basically, that is all you need to know to observe the Sun. Remember that if your idea is to do sustained monitoring, you must have several copies of the 16 cm circle on the cardboard, for which you simply need to photocopy according to the number of days you have. you plan to observe. The projection method is the most used by amateurs, since it is cheap, safe and allows several people to observe the image; There is another method, using an H-Alpha filter that is attached to the eyepiece for direct observation, but with the disadvantage that it is a very expensive filter and only allows individual observation. Once you are familiar with solar observation, remember to keep your records and be rigorous with your notes, something essential for continued observation to be useful.<\/p>\n<p align=\"justify\"><strong>Observation times<\/strong><\/p>\n<p align=\"justify\">There are no specific guidelines regarding observation time, except for the recommendation of not keeping the instrument pointed at the Sun for long periods of time; Likewise, continuous exposure to the Sun can be exhausting and straining for the observer, since this should not represent more time than that necessary to make the spot records, unless the observation contemplates a different phenomenon, such as an eclipse or a transit. . Some observing suggestions for sunspots are:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<div align=\"justify\">Carry out two daily observation sessions, 1 hour in the morning and 1 hour in the afternoon (to verify changes in the location of the spots).<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<div align=\"justify\">Do solar observation about 2 times a week, each at an interval of 3~4 days.<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<div align=\"justify\">If one day weather conditions prevent the observation from being made, this must be recorded in the log.<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p align=\"justify\"><strong>Annex: Graduated solar circle<\/strong><\/p>\n<p align=\"justify\">If you are interested in tracking using a graduated circle to record the location of sunspots in coordinates, you can download it from\u00a0<a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"http:\/\/austrinus.com\/resources\/img\/circulo_solar_graduado.jpg\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>here<\/strong><\/a>. I also suggest that if you are thinking about doing more advanced tracking and classification, for example using the\u00a0<strong><em>McIntosh classification<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0or the\u00a0<strong><em>Wolf&#039;s number<\/em><\/strong>, there are several information guides available on the Internet. This tutorial only aims to introduce the amateur to the basic notions of solar observation, but as in any other activity, it is always desirable to aspire to make increasingly complex records. Good luck with the observation!<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Observing the Sun is an activity that many amateurs do, and contrary to what it may seem, it can be quite rewarding and attractive. Our star does not remain unchanged, but from time to time changes occur on its surface, which can be appreciated with a telescope or binoculars. The most characteristic is\u2026<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2877,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1146","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-observacion"],"magazineBlocksPostFeaturedMedia":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/austrinus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/sun-icon-150x150.jpg","medium":"https:\/\/austrinus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/sun-icon-300x262.jpg","medium_large":"https:\/\/austrinus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/sun-icon.jpg","large":"https:\/\/austrinus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/sun-icon.jpg","1536x1536":"https:\/\/austrinus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/sun-icon.jpg","2048x2048":"https:\/\/austrinus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/sun-icon.jpg","trp-custom-language-flag":"https:\/\/austrinus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/sun-icon.jpg"},"magazineBlocksPostAuthor":{"name":"Farid","avatar":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/57e8aa07b0d16e13c8408ea413c009fc7da05f4cbb36da0d568b4235b1eaee6b?s=96&r=g"},"magazineBlocksPostCommentsNumber":false,"magazineBlocksPostExcerpt":"La observaci\u00f3n del Sol es una actividad que muchos aficionados realizan, y que contrario a lo que pudiera parecer, puede resultar bastante gratificante y atractivo. Nuestra estrella no se mantiene inmutable, sino que de vez en cuando le ocurren cambios en su superficie, que pueden ser apreciados con telescopio o binoculares. El m\u00e1s caracter\u00edstico es&hellip;","magazineBlocksPostCategories":["Observaci\u00f3n"],"magazineBlocksPostViewCount":1397,"magazineBlocksPostReadTime":8,"magazine_blocks_featured_image_url":{"full":["https:\/\/austrinus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/sun-icon.jpg",515,450,false],"medium":["https:\/\/austrinus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/sun-icon-300x262.jpg",300,262,true],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/austrinus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/sun-icon-150x150.jpg",150,150,true]},"magazine_blocks_author":{"display_name":"Farid","author_link":"https:\/\/austrinus.com\/en\/author\/farid\/"},"magazine_blocks_comment":0,"magazine_blocks_author_image":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/57e8aa07b0d16e13c8408ea413c009fc7da05f4cbb36da0d568b4235b1eaee6b?s=96&r=g","magazine_blocks_category":"<a href=\"#\" class=\"category-link category-link-26\">Observaci\u00f3n<\/a>","uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/austrinus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/sun-icon.jpg",515,450,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/austrinus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/sun-icon-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/austrinus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/sun-icon-300x262.jpg",300,262,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/austrinus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/sun-icon.jpg",515,450,false],"large":["https:\/\/austrinus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/sun-icon.jpg",515,450,false],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/austrinus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/sun-icon.jpg",515,450,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/austrinus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/sun-icon.jpg",515,450,false],"trp-custom-language-flag":["https:\/\/austrinus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/sun-icon.jpg",14,12,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"Farid","author_link":"https:\/\/austrinus.com\/en\/author\/farid\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"La observaci\u00f3n del Sol es una actividad que muchos aficionados realizan, y que contrario a lo que pudiera parecer, puede resultar bastante gratificante y atractivo. Nuestra estrella no se mantiene inmutable, sino que de vez en cuando le ocurren cambios en su superficie, que pueden ser apreciados con telescopio o binoculares. El m\u00e1s caracter\u00edstico es&hellip;","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/austrinus.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1146","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/austrinus.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/austrinus.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/austrinus.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/austrinus.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1146"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/austrinus.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1146\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5187,"href":"https:\/\/austrinus.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1146\/revisions\/5187"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/austrinus.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2877"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/austrinus.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1146"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/austrinus.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1146"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/austrinus.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1146"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}