Here are today’s solar images taken from Al Sadeem Observatory, April 4, 2020.

The sky was partly cloudy with intermittent moderate to fresh winds which provided average to poor seeing and transparency at the time these images were taken.

AR2759 (Modified Zurich/Mcintosh sunspot magnetic configuration: Cro/beta) developed a few more tiny spots on its trailer (barely seen in the Baader image due to poor transparency) but was generally inactive. No major flaring activity was recorded. The latest sunspot number (based on visual count and Wolf number calculation) is 12. The emerged enhanced plage at the trailer of AR2759 was clearly seen, as well as some moderately huge eruptive prominences at the limbs, were distinctively captured in H-alpha imagery.

Space weather agencies* forecast solar activity to remain at low levels with chances of weak X-ray fluxes or flares ranging up to B-class (possibly up to C-class) intensity, mainly from AR2759. Close monitoring is being conducted by numerous space weather agencies for any significant development.

Equipment used are Skywatcher 120mm refractor telescope with Baader filter and unmodified Canon EOS 1D Mark IV DSLR camera for visible imagery and Lunt H-alpha solar telescope and QHYCCDIII mono camera for H-alpha imagery, mounted on Skywatcher EQ6 Pro. Pre-processing of visible solar images was performed in PIPP, stacking in Autostakkert, slight wavelet adjustments in Registax 6 and post-processing in Adobe Photoshop CC.

*TECHNICAL REPORTS COURTESY OF SOLAR INFLUENCE DATA CENTER (SIDC), NOAA-SPACE WEATHER PREDICTION CENTER (NOAA-SWPC)

Weather Data (5:00 PM – 5:30 PM, April 4, 2020, from NCM Al Wathba Station):

Average Temperature: 37.3°C

Average Humidity: 18.33%

Average Wind Speed and Direction: 15.23 kph from NNW

Average Cloud Cover: 45%

Average Air Pressure: 1001.6 hPa

Average Solar Radiation: 194.33 W/m^2