During August I was able to observe the solar photosphere on twelve mornings at 10am. This was over two distinct groups as after Aug 12 weather and a trip away meant I could not observe again until August 24, and I was home on 3 more sunny mornings at the end of the month. Figures 1a and 1b show the sunspot activity. Figure 1a shows that sunspot activity started strongly at the beginning of August then dropped constantly, until by Aug 10 there were no sunspots at all. Figure

During July I was able to observe the solar photosphere on sixteen mornings at 10am. Sunspots were observed using a 127mm Maksutov-Cassegrain telescope. Figure 1 shows that sunspot activity started strongly early in July, then fell away sharply mid-month before increasing again. Figure 1: Graphic representation of sunspot activity during July 2026 through a 127mm Maksutov-Cassegrain telescope and an 8x50 finder-scope, both fitted with full-aperture solar filters. The Relative

Find out why the solar wind stays so hot and more interesting astronomical news, Variable stars and investigation of the Universe's lithium.

Lyn Smith FRAS explains how to safely observe the Sun, our closest star, and record its activity.

Find out about the Sun, our closest Star, from Lyn Smith FRAS.

Our active Sun in February 2025

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In This Issue: Icy Moonquakes.........................................................1-3 NGC3293...........................................