Tag: Sun

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NEVER LOOK AT THE SUN DIRECTLY. Please click here for solar observing safely.

Below is a fantastic collection of images and timelapse vidoes of the partial solar eclipse taken by CMHASD members on the 12th August 2026.

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Kevin Langford

Images taken using a Canon EOS 750D with standard lens set to 55mm white light filter fixed on the mount. Fixed to standard tripod.

One picture taken every 5mins until the sun went behind that house.

The final picture was made up of the sun images merged with a picture of the house taken later. Affinity Photo was used to create the picture.

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Honor Wheeler

Three images taken using a Canon M6II with x2 Barlow,
Coronado PST and EQ3 PRO Mount.

Exposure: ISO200,1/6s
Processed in Snapseed

Plus a timelapse video taken using a Dwarf3 smart scope. All taken at the pavilion.

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George Buckberry

A time lapse video and a collage of images taken using a Dwarf3 Smart scope at the pavilion.

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Tina Bishop

Timelapse video of the eclipse.

Taken using a Dwarf3 smart scope at the pavilion.

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Guy Roberts     

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Jim Burchell     The 12 images below were taken at the pavilion using a Pentax KP DSLR Body attached to a 102mm F11 refactor with Baader solar film attached.  No colour correction has been applied.

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Dan Stevens        The three images below were taken using a Seestar s30 at the pavilion.

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Leigh Slomer     

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NEVER LOOK AT THE SUN DIRECTLY. Please click here for solar observing safely.

Article written by CMHASD Chairperson Mr Gary Hunt.

CMHASD Partial Solar Eclipse Public Outreach Event — A Resounding Success

On 12 August 2026, the Crayford Manor House Astronomical Society Dartford (CMHASD) opened its doors — and its telescopes — to the public for a special outreach event to observe the Partial Solar eclipse.  And what a day it turned out to be!

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We estimate that at least 83 visitors joined us during the event, eager to see the Moon take a bite out of the Sun.

The excitement among visitors was genuinely infectious. Children and adults alike were “wowed” and awed by what they saw, while CMHASD members were equally excited to share the experience. There is something rather special about seeing the expression on someone's face when they look through a telescope and suddenly realise that they are seeing the Sun in extraordinary detail — and not merely a bright blob in the sky.

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Solar observing — safely, of course!

CMHASD provided multiple solar-safe observing telescopes, including two specialist hydrogen-alpha solar telescopes, one of which belongs to the Society. These gave visitors spectacular views of our nearest star, including features that ordinary white-light observing simply cannot reveal.

We also distributed free safe solar-observing spectacles to visitors. This was particularly appreciated given the national shortage of suitable solar glasses in the run-up to the eclipse.

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Our members were particularly pleased to help children experience the eclipse safely. The enthusiasm of our younger visitors was wonderful to see, and several CMHASD members excelled themselves in explaining what was happening in ways that made sense to inquisitive young minds — without requiring anyone to sit an astronomy examination beforehand!

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The weather behaved itself!  We were blessed with excellent observing weather, providing first-rate visual conditions throughout the event. The eclipse was clearly visible and the views through the solar telescopes were spectacular.

The only celestial object apparently determined to make its presence felt rather too enthusiastically was the Sun itself, with temperatures becoming distinctly warm!

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CMHASD therefore did what any responsible astronomical society should do: alongside telescopes, solar filters and astronomical expertise, we provided shade and natural comforts for visitors when required. After all, there is little point in observing the heavens if the observer has melted before reaching the eyepiece!

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Bringing astronomy to our local community.  CMHASD was particularly proud that this was the only officially organised public eclipse event serving the Boroughs of Bexley and Dartford.

The event demonstrated exactly why public outreach is such an important part of the Society's work. We were able to bring astronomy directly to our local community, provide safe access to specialist equipment, answer questions, encourage curiosity and, most importantly, allow people to experience a remarkable astronomical event for themselves.

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Meanwhile, several CMHASD members had travelled all the way to Spain to observe the total solar eclipse, experiencing the extraordinary spectacle of totality. Those of us remaining in Kent had to be content with a partial eclipse, although, judging by the expressions of our visitors, we weren't doing too badly!

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A tremendous team effort.  As Chairperson of CMHASD, I am immensely pleased with the success of the event. Seeing so many members of the public, and particularly children, becoming excited about astronomy and experiencing the eclipse for themselves made all the preparation and hard work thoroughly worthwhile.

I would like to give my sincere thanks to Sonia, Diane, Tina and our Society Secretary, Mike, together with the many other CMHASD members who helped organise, prepare and run the event. Their enthusiasm, knowledge, patience and willingness to help the public throughout the day were exceptional.

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I would also like to extend our sincere thanks to Sutton-at-Hone Parish Council for its support of the event.

The success of the day was a wonderful demonstration of what CMHASD can achieve when its members come together with a shared passion for astronomy and a desire to inspire others.

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If you want to know more about astronomy (day or night), then please do contact CMHASD, and we will do our best to answer your queries, maybe even inspire you to join us.

And perhaps the best measure of our success was not the number of telescopes, solar filters or pairs of eclipse spectacles we handed out, but the number of people who walked away saying, in one form or another:

“Wow!”

For an astronomical society, that's a pretty good day's work.

I would also like to say thank you to those members who shared their photos of the event too.  They really show the spirit of the day.

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CMHASD Public Outreach at Hall Place & Gardens - 2nd August 2026.

Post written by CMHASD Chairperson Gary Hunt.

WARNING: NEVER LOOK AT THE SUN DIRECTLY.  Read the page on Solar Safety before attempting any kind of viewing of the Sun!

''A Brilliant Day of Solar Outreach at Hall Place!  Our Solar Observing Public Outreach Event at Hall Place, Bexley, held alongside the popular Farmers' Market on Sunday 2nd August, proved to be another tremendous success for the Crayford Manor House Astronomical Society.
Despite a day of hot temperatures and variable cloud cover, we welcomed well over 150 visitors between 10:00 am and 3:00 pm, all eager to experience our nearest star in a way that few people ever have.

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The passing clouds certainly tested everyone's patience at times! Just as visitors reached the eyepiece, the Sun would occasionally decide to hide behind a convenient cloud, leading to a few moments of anticipation (and the occasional collective sigh!). Fortunately, perseverance paid off, and when the skies cleared the reward was spectacular.

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Image of the Sun taken by Dr Mike Rushton using a Dwarf3 smart scope.  The Sun was active with a plenty of sun spots!

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Those observing through our Hydrogen Alpha telescopes were treated to magnificent views of the Sun, including impressive sunspots and beautiful solar prominences dancing around the solar limb. The reactions from visitors were priceless, with countless expressions of amazement and wonder. Even a number of our own members experienced their first views through a Hydrogen Alpha telescope and were genuinely "wowed" by the incredible detail on display.

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Events such as these are only possible because of the dedication and enthusiasm of our volunteers. It was undoubtedly an exhausting day, but one that demonstrated the Society at its very best.
A huge thank you goes to every member of the CMHASD team who gave up their Sunday to inspire the public and share their knowledge and passion for astronomy.

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Special recognition must go to:
Dr Mike Rushton for organising the event.
Steve Floodgate and Dave Grist for taking on the transport, setup and all the inevitable heavy lifting.
And, of course, to every volunteer who welcomed visitors, answered questions, operated telescopes and helped create such a friendly and memorable experience.
Each person played an important role, and together they showcased exactly what makes CMHASD such a wonderful society. As Chair, I could not have been prouder of our Outreach Team and everything they achieved.

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Our solar observing season isn't over yet!
Our next opportunity to observe the Sun will be the Partial Solar Eclipse on Wednesday 12th August at the CMHASD Observatory, followed by our final Hall Place Solar Observing Event of the season on Sunday 23rd August.
As always, everything depends on one small detail...
The British weather!
We hope to see many of you there.''

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Image of our Sun taken by Dan Stevens using a Seestar S30 smartscope.

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The Society would like to thank Diane Clarke, John Archer, Mike Rushton and Dan Stevens for sharing their photos.

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WARNING: NEVER LOOK AT THE SUN DIRECTLY.  Read the page on Solar Safety before attempting any kind of viewing of the Sun!

A super selection of Sun in white light images taken by members Jim & Simon on the 27th April 2026. The Sun was quite active with several sunspots.

The 1st image on the right was taken by Jim Burchell using a Seestar S50 smartscope.

The images below are taken by Simon Dawes. Details of how Simon took his images are on some of the photos.

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Here is a fantastic selection of images taken by new member Tina Bishop and new to astroimaging too.

All images were taken using a Dwarf3 smartscope.

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A fabulous selection of Sunspot images taken by Simon Dawes this last week.

WARNING: NEVER LOOK AT THE SUN DIRECTLY.  Read the page on Solar Safety before attempting any kind of viewing of the Sun!

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The Moon & Sun by member George Buckberry; both taken using a Dwarf 3 smart scope.

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Two images of the Sun taken using smartscopes on the 4th February 2026.

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Taken by Jim Burchell using a Seestar s50.

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Hot off the press - 2 images of the Sun showing the enormous Sunspot AR4366; taken on the 4th February 2026. The image on the left was taken by Jim Burchell using a Seestar s50 smart scope and the image on the right was taken by George Buckberry using a Dwarf3 smart scope. Both taken from the Dartford area.

AR4366 has unleashed dozens of solar flares including a powerful X8-class flare on the 1st February 2026. Most sunspots never produce even one X-flare but this week, giant sunspot 4366 has fired off six; the latest being an X4.2-class explosion on the 4th February.

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Below is a diagram of the sun with the sunspots labelled and an image of just AR4366. Both these images were taken from the website spaceweather.com.

''The image of the Sunspot AR4366 was taken by amateur astronomer James Kevin Ty on Feb 3rd from his backyard observatory in Manila. "This sunspot started as an inconspicuous pore just a few days ago. Since then it has grown hugely in size!" he says.

SUNSPOT ARCHIPELAGO: Sunspots are magnetic islands on the sun. Sunspot AR4366 is a complete archipelago. Scroll down to scan more than 200,000 miles of island chain.

The island metaphor is apt. Sunspots are buoyant concentrations of magnetism that float on a sea of solar plasma. Archipelago 4366 consists of one big island twice as wide as Earth plus dozens of lesser isles ranging in size from US states to small planets.

AR4366 is currently facing Earth.'' Ref:Spaceweather.com

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