Unusual solar eruption

This rather unusual solar eruption happened at around 15:10 UTC on the 5th September.

It's unusual in that it appears to erupt out of nowhere with no visible trail. It just seems to be a ball of plasma.

From the start of the event, about 4s in when a small disturbance can be seen on the limb, to the object disappearing was just 18 frames, equivalent to 4m 30s in real time.

Roughly scaling from measuring the PC monitor, it was travelling at about 1.54M km/hr.

Equipment:

Scope: Coronado PST

Camera: Altair GP-CAM3 178M

Mount: Sky-Watcher NEQ6 Pro

Time-lapse images taken every 15s, compiled to video using PiPP and VirtualDub

Thinking this really was something different, I contacted the BAA. BAAs Peter Meadows the director of the Solar Section got in touch. He passed it on to STCE in Belgium and they included it as an addendum to a news letter, along with another observation made by Scott Benavente in the USA.

https://www.stce.be/news/835/welcome.html

(Scroll to the Addendum at the bottom of the article)

Thanks to Peter Meadows (BAA) and Jan (STCE). 

Stills of the Sun around midday the same day.

On the left white light image, Sky-Watcher 80ED PRO

On the right Ha image, Coronado PST 

Perseids 2026

Some images of Perseids meteors taken on 14th August 2026

Camera: Pentax K-S2

Lens: Samyang 16mm F2.0 ED AS UMC CS

2026 08 14 02:31

2026 08 14 03:49

2026 08 14 04:38

The streak at the top and the one to the left of the tree are satellites.

Solar Eclipse 12th August 2026

Unable to get to a location with clear views of the Western horizon, I had to make do with observing from my back garden in Freshwater.

I was able to image from first contact to just past maximum.

Equipment:

Pentax K-S2 camera

Tamron AF 70-300mm LD Di zoom lens, set at 300mm

Pentax Rear Converter K T6-2X

Overall focal length 600mm

This image is a collage of three frames, a few sunspots makes the images more interesting.

My youngest daughter was lucky enough to be in Mallorca, right at the end of the path of totality and grabbed this image

Another view from Mallorca. Venus can be seen to the left of the Sun and Arcturus to the right and higher up than Venus.

My middle daughter was at a good location in East Cowes and grabbed these images

My images of the sun taken earlier in the day, white light (left) and Ha (right). Due to camera rotation North is on the Right, and East is top.

Still plenty of activity on the Sun

June 25th 2026, a few sunspots, filaments and a nice flare.

White light (Left)

Scope: Sky-Watcher 80ED PRO

Camera: QHY 268C

Ha (Right)

Scope: Coronado PST

Camera: Altair GP-CAM3 178M

Flare with a nice twirl to finish!

Impressive Solar Flare

 09:30, Friday April 24, Freshwater, Isle of Wight.

This magnificent flare was the first thing I saw after setting up for a day of solar imaging. On the left the Sun in white light, on the right the sun in Ha.

The white light image was taken with a Sky Watcher ED80 DS Pro, Baader solar film, QHY268C camera and SharpCap. The Ha image was taken using a Coronado PST, Altair GP-CAM3 178M camera and AltairCapture, it comprises two images, the first (centre) a normal exposure showing surface detail, the second (behind) overexposed to reveal prominences and flares. The flare appears to have originated from AR4419 which was extremely bright in Ha.

The images were stacked from 60 second videos, using RegiStax6 and processed with ImPPG and Affinity Photo 2.

 

New M51

After nearly two years of zero deep sky astrophotography I finally got round to doing a full recalibration of the rig. I chose M51 as my test target.

The image is made up from four 3 hour sessions, 17th, 18th, 19th March and 6th April, 90 x 120s exposures each night. It's looking good so far.

Scope:        Sky-Watcher ED80 DS Pro

Camera:      QHY268C

Mount:        Sky-Watcher NE6 Pro

Images stacked using Deep Sky Stacker and processed using Affinity Photo 2.

First Perseid of the year

My first Perseid meteor image of 2025

Equipment:

Pentax K-S2

16mm Samyang lens

Manfrotto tripod

Capture details:

F2.0

ISO1600

10sec

Partial Solar Eclipse 29th March 2025

Some cloud affected images early on, but these were kept to maintain an uninterrupted sequence.

Images taken at 15s intervals.

First sequence taken using a white light filter.

Scope:      Sky-Watcher ED80 DS Pro scope.

Camera:   QHY268C

Mount:      Sky-Watcher NE6 Pro

Second sequence Ha

Scope:     Coronado PST Ha solar scope.

Camera:   Altair GP-CAM3 178M

Mount:      Sky-Watcher NE6 Pro

Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS 19th October 2024

Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS was not well placed for me on the date. This was taken just before it disappeared behind the next door house, hence the dark shadow bottom left.

Equipment:

Scope: Sky-Watcher 80ED PRO

Camera: QHY 268C

Mount: Sky-Watcher NEQ6 Pro

Stacked with Deep Sky Stacker, processed with Affinity Photo 2

Aurora and Perseid Meteors 12/13 August 2024

Another Aurora event visible (to a camera) at lower latitudes.

Equipment:

Pentax K-S2

16mm Samyang lens

Manfrotto tripod

Capture details:

F3.5

ISO1600

10sec

 

Aurora

Perseids

Aurora (at last) and bonus Perseid meteor

Having missed the spectacular event in May, I've had fingers cross for another. Finally last night some success, although not as spectacular as May it was still pleasing to get some images and this one also captures a Perseid meteor. Two for the price of one!

Equipment:

Pentax K-S2

16mm Samyang lens

Manfrotto tripod

This image was captured at 01:27 12th August 2024

Capture details:

F3.5

ISO1600

10sec

 

AR3664 - The region that caused Aurora around the world (but I missed it!)

Sun spot region AR3664 can be seen right of middle. This image was taken on 9th May, a couple of days before the Aurora was seen around the world.

White light (Left)

Scope: Sky-Watcher 80ED PRO

Camera: QHY 268C

Ha (Right)

Scope: Coronado PST

Camera: Altair GP-CAM3 178M

The start of a new season of Solar imaging

Here are a few recent images of the Sun captured in White light and Ha

White light (Left)

Scope: Sky-Watcher 80ED PRO

Camera: QHY 268C

Ha (Right)

Scope: Coronado PST

Camera: Altair GP-CAM3 178M

April 7th

April 18th

April 20th

April 29th

April 30th

First Perseid Meteor of the season

I had fairly clear skies late Sunday evening, 6th August, so put the DSLR out to try for some Perseid meteors.

I took 298 x 10s f/2.5 exposures between 21:40 and 23:19 UTC on a 20s timer. This is the only one I managed to capture, it was captured at 23:13 UTC.

Pentax:    K-S2

Lens:       Samyang f/2.0 16mm ED AS

Tripod:    Manfrotto ART 055

Of the 298 exposures, 47 (16%) contained satellite trails, that's way more than I can remember seeing in the past and an illustration of how mega constellations of communication satellites are polluting our skies. It'll only get worse unless someone of influence takes a stand, unfortunately big business rules and that'll never happen.

Nice active region flare - 30th May 2023

Scope:     Coronado PST

Mount:    Sky Watcher NEQ6 Pro
Camera:  AltairAstro 178M

Image capture: SharpCap using 'Feature Tracking Tool'

Compiled to video with PiPP and processed with VirtualDub.

SN 2023ixf - Super Nova in M101

A new Super Nova in M101 was discovered on Friday 19th May 2023 by Koichi Itagaki. At 21 million light years away it's the closest observed Super Nova for over a decade.

More information

https://earthsky.org/todays-image/supernova-in-m101-pinwheel-galaxy-closest-in-a-decade-how-to-see/

I imaged it on Sunday 21st.

45 x 120s Lights + Darks and Flats

Scope:     Sky Watcher ED80 DS Pro
Mount:    Sky Watcher NEQ6 Pro
Camera:  QHY268C

Guide scope: Sky Watcher Evoguide 50ED
Guide cam:   Altair Astro GP-CAM 290M

Image capture: SharpCap
Guiding:           PHD2
Planetarium:    Cartes du Ciel

Stacked with Deep Sky Stacker.

Processed with Fitswork4 and Affinity Photo V2.1.0.

April 2022

May 2023

The animation below is compiled from the above images, April 2022 and May 2023.

The Super Nova is clearly visible below and to the right of the centre of M101. The recent image is bluer than the 2022 image, that's just processing differences. The video quality seems to have been reduced by the site, but it still shows the Super Nova very well.

Solar flare and Prominence - 7th April 2023

Solar flare and prominence captured between 10:30 and 16:00 on 7th April 2023

Compiled from 1200 still frames taken at 15s intervals.

Scope:     Coronado PST
Mount:    Sky Watcher NEQ6 Pro
Camera:  AltairAstro 178M

Image capture: SharpCap

Compiled to video with PiPP and processed with VirtualDub.

30th January 2023 - Another night on C/2022 E3 (ZTF)

 Same set up as on 27th

211 x 60s exposures captured between 19:12 and 22:45, 30 January 2023

Still image compiled from stacking the 211 frames. A first image aligned by stars and a second image aligned on the comet, then combined in Affinity Photo to a single image.

27th January 2023 - Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF)

Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) is racing across the sky right now.

Here is a time-lapse video and a stacked image.

Taken between approximately 19:00 and 22:00 on 27th January 2023

187 x 60s Lights + Darks and Flats

Scope:     Sky Watcher ED80 DS Pro
Mount:    Sky Watcher NEQ6 Pro
Camera:  QHY268C

Guide scope: Sky Watcher Evoguide 50ED
Guide cam:   Altair Astro GP-CAM 290M

Image capture: SharpCap
Guiding:           PHD2
Planetarium:    Cartes du Ciel

Stacked with Deep Sky Stacker.

Processed with Fitswork4 and Affinity Photo V2.0.4

M108 19th April 2020

 M108 from April 2020.

22 x 240s Lights + Darks and Flats

Scope:     Sky Watcher ED80 DS Pro
Mount:    Sky Watcher NEQ6 Pro
Camera:  AltairAstro 183C

Guide scope: Sky Watcher Evoguide 50ED
Guide cam:   Altair Astro GP-CAM 290M

Image capture: SharpCap
Guiding:           PHD2
Planetarium:    Cartes du Ciel

Stacked in DSS.

Processed in Affinity Photo V1.10.5