Director: Richard Bailey
APRIL2012
SPA SOLAR SECTION
APRIL 2012
Rotation Nos. 2122, 2123
WHITE LIGHT
Last month the Sun seemed to be daydreaming at times. From the 12th of this month, it came to life and up to 7 AR’s were seen on 5 days in the last week spread in both hemispheres. Over the month activity was almost equal in them, with the SH edging in front.
The quietest days were the 9th, 10th., and 11th. Good areas of limb faculae were seen regularly by Alan Heath and Brian Gordon States, who observed on 28days, and prepared a detailed report of each of them, as did Alan, Ian Lee and Mike Fullerton and Ian Phelps of all their double figure days. Thanks to all white light recorders, as only one day was unrecorded for the Section’s archive. Peter Paice’s montages and separate AR images captured great detail
Week 1. A maximum of 4 AR’s were seen, NH AR1450 a line of small spots near the CM, small AR1452 behind. The SH had 1445 in the W, a large umbra and good penumbra, and small, shorth lived 1453 by the CM.
Week 2. The month’s quietest days, three from the 9th. On the 12th 2 AR’s had come in from the E, one in each hemisphere not far from the equator, heralding a revival of good activity lasting to the end of the month.
Week 3. By the 20th. 7 AR’s were visible, 3 NH and 4 SH. The best was SH AR1459 by the CM, on the 21st., a stretch of 26 mixed sized sunspots, on the 21st, 30.
Week 4 to end of the month. 7 AR’s observed until the penultimate day.
Activity in the NH dropped away sharply from the 29th.
MDF 3.41 R 51.09
H-ALPHA
Prominence and filament activity increased as that in white light did after the middle of the month, in both hemspheres. Two large promineces stood on the W and SW limb on the 15th., and a splendid one on the SW limb on the 29th.good plaging was seen to the stronger AR’s. In the first week, a long NH filament, snake-like to Ian Lee, stretched above NH AR1452. His detailed h-a activity drawings on 15 days are a delight to see, as are the images by Brian Woosnam, Es Reid, Ken Whayman and Philip Benson.
A strong flare to the following part of new SH AR1471, just around the E limb, was seen and photographed by the Director from 1024-1140UT, when it subsided.
MDF 5.43
New Section members. A warm welcome to Philip Benson, Michael Jenkins and Gordon Mcgowan. They join at a good moment, as the Sun is approaching the Maximum Period of Cycle 24, so they will be kept busy recording the action.
Observers :
Peter Paice Ian Lee Philp Benson Michael Fullerton Alan Heath Brian Woosnam
Brian Gordon States Lee Macdonald Ian Phelps Ken Whayman
Es Reid and the Director.
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