Yesterday the word on the Internet was that a huge sunspot was visible on the sun. Many examples of the spot were shown. The sun is in "Cycle 26" of it's 11 year cycle of peak sunspot activity (the next peak is July 2025 so we're in year 9). Perfect timing to see sunspots!
So last evening I took my camera, tripod and my homemade solar filter out the garden and aimed towards the sun. I realize this is dangerous viewing but I never look towards the sun with my eyes, only the camera. I experimented with a number of manual settings. This shot was best:
07/11/23 - 07:10 PM
What about that "homemaker" solar filter? It's a commercial solar filter film glued to a piece of plastic that I found would fit the lens of my Canon PowerShot SX20 IS. Yes, the camera will accept 58mm filters ... but not really. They can be attached but the lens was not threaded for filters.
This filter pushes on t he end of the lens in a tight seal. It's a kluge but it works. And it was cheap.
I set the camera to manual (1/100s, f8.0, ISO 80, infinity focus). I tried other settings with poorer results. I'm limited in what the cameras will allow, even on manual. The camera certainly wasn't designed for any but amateur use and snapshots.
Good enough, anyway.
NOTE: NEVER LOOK AT THE SUN
You could quickly damage your eyes, and perhaps your cameras, too. It's best to view shots such as this which others have taken.
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