Northern Lights In Marysville, WA

A time-lapse video of the Northern Lights, as seen from my back deck on Sunday night, September 30. This is one of the best light shows I've seen from here.
These lights were the result of the 2nd of two CME's (Coronal Mass Ejection), caused by a solar flare erupting on the Sun two days earlier......

JUST A SPECK?

Ok, folks....this tiny little speck on the Sun is STILL a little bit bigger than Earth. Consider that there are 7 BILLION of us packed onto a grain of sand.... (click image for a larger version).

SUN BLOG SEPTEMBER 30

It looks like we're in for a (mostly) sunny week ahead. There has been some minor solar flare activity on the western limb (right edge) of the Sun over the past couple of days, so I think I will spend the day watching and photographing the action.
Below, is a visible-light image of the Sun, showing two large sunspots. I've included the approximate size of the largest one.

 

Below, is another image of the Sun, showing it in Hydrogen-alpha wavelength. This wavelength is not visible to the human eye, but shows many features and activity.  The circled region is where the current Xray solar flares are occuring, while the inset graph shows the plot of Xray activity as monitored by an environmental satellite (GOES-15).

***REMEMBER.....NEVER LOOK DIRECTLY AT THE SUN WITHOUT PROPER FILTERING DEVICES!!!!  PERMANENT EYE DAMAGE MAY OCCUR!

2nd New Sunspot in 2 Days!!

Just 2 days after my last post, showing a new sunspot emerging from around the eastern limb of the Sun, yet ANOTHER one is arriving(circled).....

The Sun: September 24, 2012

The Sun, as viewed from Meadowcreek Park Observatory (MPO) in Marysville, Washington.

A new sunspot is emerging from around the eastern limb (circled).

(Click image for larger view)

Canon Rebel t3/300mm telephoto w/white-light solar filter

Jim Tegerdine, amateur astronomer

September 23, 2012

The nights are cold, the days are getting cooler and the mornings are crisp, with some fog.  Perfect for sunrise photography...

Using the same camera (on the same morning), and placing a solar filter over the lens, a close-up view of the Sun shows a few sunspots....

On the previous night, I captured the first-quarter Moon, through the haze of wildfire smoke that has drifted over the mountains from eastern Washington....

Fall Is In The Air

The days are still pleasant (70-80°), but the nights are getting cooler (down to 44° the other night). Foggy mornings and sunny afternoons. Growing my vegetable garden this year has been fun. This year, I planted some Sunflower starts that a friend from work gave me. More than half of my red onions have been harvested and still quite a few cherry tomatoes on the vine. But that's about it for my growing season. I'm sharing most of the onions, as I recently (August 7) found out that I have a gall stone, and apparently, onions are not advised. Although I've been feeling good since then, and I've lost 10 pounds, I'm not quite ready to "test the waters" of risky foods. If you have ever had a gall bladder attack, you know what I mean.

Every 3 months, we bid on new schedules at work (it's a union thing). I've been able to keep the same schedule and routes (I drive a city bus in Everett, Washington) for about 11/2 years, but the economy has finally affected us and there have been some service cuts and route changes. So, as of August 26th, my schedule is starting about an hour later, which means I get home about an hour later and my sleep schedule has shifted. (Right now, I start work at 2 p.m. and get home close to 11 p.m.). Yes, I still have a job! 14 years has given me some seniority and a certain amount of job security. There have been no layoffs, but the drivers near the bottom of the ladder have had some hours cut. I feel blessed to have good health and some economic security, although my budget is tight these days (since March: new roof on the house, new engine, clutch and radiator in the car, 2 crowns in my mouth and a large veterinary bill). Still, life is good.

I've been working on some original music lately...recording some of my songs written back in the day (70's and 80's). I have a cool little toy...a 64-track digital recording studio. All the bells and whistles. I'm currently working on a song, with 8 separate tracks: acoustic rhythm guitar, bass guitar, vocal, 2 lead guitars, piano and 2 percussion tracks. Oh, did I mention that this studio fits in my pocket??? (BOSS BR-80 mini studio). Google it. Pretty cool.

Boone and Sadie are well. Boone turned 14 last month and Sadie will be 12 in November. They're my buddies. They give and get lots of love (and they rule the roost). Both are healthy, although Boone's vision ain't what it used to be, and he's moving a little slower, too. I have to keep my eyes open when he's around, because he will sneak up behind me (just to be close) and if I'm not careful I could kick him or step on his little feet. Sadie, on the other hand, is still as perky and independent as ever, but she loves to have her head rubbed. ("Noggin-rubbin' ").

Astronomy is still one of my big passions. Since the majority of the year is NOT conducive to watching the sky, I have been able to "listen" to it by way of Radio Astronomy...particularly, solar flares and radio emissions from Jupiter. Huh??!!! That's right, Virginia...I can listen to the Sun and Jupiter on a shortwave radio. I won't get technical here, but if that sounds interesting, let me know and I'll explain.
I've also been able to capture some Northern Lights (aurora) using a special long-exposure camera and creating time-lapse videos.

Well, enough for now. I'll try to keep y'all updated periodically on my blog, including pics and videos.
Hope the rest of the year is happy, healthy and fun for you.
***CLICK ON THE PURPLE  LINKS, FOR PHOTOS!!