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Each month a summary of sunspot activity is written and forms part of a report sent to the Solar Section of the British Astronomical Association (BAA) and to The Astronomer. Follow the links below to read a page summary of sunspot activity. The McIntosh Sunspot Group Classification is used for sunspot group descriptions.
Only one group was seen during the month: AR 1010 on the 11th at 19°N/21° and of type Cri with an area of 20 millionths. Seven sunspots were seen. No further observations were possible until the 17th when this group was not visible. The other nine observations made during the month showed spotless disks. On the 17th two bright regions of faculae were visible, one on the western limb at 22°N/23° (AR 1010) and the other on the eastern limb at 31°N/256°. By the following day, the western faculae had disappeared having rotated off the disk while the eastern faculae was still visible but much fainter. Hydrogen Alpha: The most prominent prominence seen from four observations was of a small hedgerow type on the NE limb on the 11th. Also on the 11th plage was seen around AR 1010 while on the 17th and 18th plage was seen in the NE quadrant at approximate location 27°N/264°.
AR 1012 was seen near the eastern limb on the 11th and 12th as a single Axx sunspot at 5°S/278° (and so from the old solar cycle). It has disappeared by the 13th. The other 10 observations made during the month showed spotless disks. Hydrogen Alpha: None of the prominences seen from seven observations were particularly striking as they were all quite small. A small filament was seen on the 7th in the NW quadrant.
An Axx group comprising two sunspots was seen near the central meridian at 4°S/34° on the 6th. On the following day, this group, AR 1014, had reduced to a single sunspot and it had disappeared by the 8th. The other 17 observations made during the month showed spotless disks. Hydrogen Alpha: The most significant prominences seen were on the 2nd when a ‘cloud’ shaped prominence was seen just above the NW limb; on the 22nd a three ‘spike’ prominences on the NW limb and on the 30th when another ‘cloud’ prominence was seen also above the NW limb. Small filaments were seen on the 2nd (NE quadrant), 8th (NE quadrant) and 15th (SE quadrant).
Page created on 21 December 2008. |
