Solar Page

This is the latest image from the SOHO satellite. Yes indeed! This is an up-to-date image of our sun in H-Alpha fed directly from NASA! (304 Angstroms)

If you have special (expensive!) equipment, you can actually see this from your home. Expect to spend about $6,000.

(Extreme ultraviolet Imaging Telescope: 284 Angstroms) images the solar atmosphere at several wavelengths, and therefore, shows solar material at different temperatures. In the images taken at 304 Angstroms the bright material is at 60,000 to 80,000 degrees Kelvin. In those taken at 171, at 1 million degrees. 195 Angstrom images correspond to about 1.5 million Kelvin. 284 Angstrom, to 2 million degrees. The hotter the temperature, the higher you look in the solar atmosphere.

This image shows the magnetic interaction of sunspots (if any are present).

White light image from SOHO showing sunspot detail (if any).

You can see this easily from your own home with a quality, safe and inexpensive telescope equipped with a "white light" filter. In fact, your view would be better than this view taken by satellite!

I can supply a telescope with the proper (safe!) filters for solar viewing for about $500---shipped to your door.

With a basic digital camera you could take pictures this good or better!