Here are today’s solar images taken from Al Sadeem Observatory, October 17, 2020.
The sky was generally clear with intermittent moderate breeze which provided good transparency but average seeing at the time these images were taken.
The lone visible sunspot group AR2776 (Modified Zurich/Mcintosh sunspot configuration: Cai/beta) expanded its sunspot coverage area with its leader continuously gradually growing with new trailer spots emerging. Space weather agencies recorded only a few minor B-class flares from this sunspot group over the past 24 hours. The latest sunspot number (based on visual count and Wolf number calculation) is 14. Small enhanced plages associated with the AR2776, as well as few tiny quiescent prominences and short stable filament at the far northern hemisphere were distinctively captured in H-alpha imagery.
Space weather agencies* forecast solar activity to be at low levels with chances of weak X-ray fluxes or flares up to B-class (possibly up to isolated C-class) intensity, mainly from AR2776. 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. For H-alpha imagery, the equipment used are Lunt 60mm H-alpha solar telescope, and QHYCCD290III mono camera; all mounted on Skywatcher EQ6 pro mount 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 – 5:20 PM, October 17, 2020, from NCM Al Wathba Station):
Average Temperature: 33.6°C
Average Humidity: 13.5%
Average Wind Speed and Direction: 25.05 kph from NNW
Average Cloud Cover: 0%
Average Air Pressure: 998.25 hPa
Average Solar Radiation: 85.5 W/m^2
