I have always preferred solar observing to any other discipline in Astronomy and although I submitted monthly reports and occasional drawing to the BAA I had never considered offering my reports on the web. Until now, that is. So with the start of the new year, 2006, I’m displaying monthly reports of what I physically see on a daily basis, weather permitting of course, and also a separate report, at the month end which I will compile from the Big Bear Observatory of what actually took place each day of that month. The idea of the latter is to build up a history for myself to look for trends and variations in solar activity over extended periods of time. Something for the long winter months each year. Of course there is photography, but I think perhaps this favours those with Hydrogen-Alpha equipment.

The Isle of Man Astronomical Society of which I am a member and which has an excellent website at http://www.iomastronomy.org/ is shortly increasing its range of equipment with the purchase of a Ha telescope so it is something which I may involve myself in the near future. My own equipment consists of a Meade ETX125 with lens, filters and 3x Barlow, 25 x 100 binocular with solar filters which I can use if away on holiday and a 12” Newtonian reflector, equatorially mounted. I am thinking of using the 12” on the sun with the mirror and diagonal stripped. If any one has experience of this idea, favourable or otherwise, I would like to hear from them. Having recently purchased the much acclaimed ToUcam I shall be practicing with photography and hope eventually to have, as everybody seems to have, a gallery!

I’m now a member of ALPO’s Solar Section and also the section’s group on Yahoo. I must say I think the interchange of discussions, the observations and the displays of photographs is really excellent.

I’ve also recently become a member of the “CV after Malde 81” organisation as I believe recognizing the value of a particular sunspot group to be quite relevant to any solar records.

Sunny Skies

Alan Buck

February 2006 (Website)

...and the Bigger Picture 1, 2, 3

Webmaster’s note: Alan has been an active solar observer over a number of years, and was previously a Committee Member of the Isle of Man Astronomical Society. We welcome him on board the “Sections” page as the first member of the Society to have an active link. Alan will be delighted to answer your questions with regard to solar observation, and may be readily contacted at our general meetings. Those members of the Society who attended the July 2006 general meeting will recall the enthusiasm and knowledge displayed at the excellent talk given by Alan entitled “ Solar Observing”. You will find a wealth of historical data as recorded by Alan, on his website at http://homepages.manx.net/4alan_buck/.