A break in the clouds
I had been looking forward to the solar eclipse on 10 June, even though I knew I’d only see a partial eclipse from my location – we just needed the weather to be kind to us. So naturally I awoke to a very grey Sheffield morning. It wasn’t just cloudy; it was a grey blanket. I couldn’t even see where the Sun should be, so I would have to trust my mount to find it for me. I set up my Lunt LS60THa/B600 solar scope and Canon EOS 1100D DSLR on a Sky-Watcher EQ5 Pro mount just in case, but there was no improvement at the time of the first contact. Around 10:45am, however, I noticed the sky was brighter and went out to have a look. There were a few breaks in the clouds and what looked like a possible blue patch.
I quickly got into position and waited. Then suddenly the Sun was out! There was no time to check the focus; I’d practised finding it during the week so just went with that. I took this single shot at 10:58am with ISO 200 at 1/50”, the Sun already retreating into the clouds when I tried to take another. It never cleared again. I got that one chance, but I’m more than happy with it and glad
I got a hydrogen-alpha image. There is only a little surface detail to see, but just visible are two small prominences. As I was processing the image with GIMP I noticed the unevenness of contours on the Moon’s surface against the Sun. I’m so glad I was prepared – what a result from an otherwise grey morning! Sue Silver, Sheffield
What a wonderful account, Sue. It just goes to show that it pays to be ready. Well done! – Ed