Well, it's not exactly "After Dark" but is current observational astronomy going on NOW!: I have gotten back into casual solar and gauge whether I MUST haul out the scopes just by looking at the sun thru a welder's glass or solar filter. If I can see any spot(s) essentially unaided like this – then I MUST drag out the scopes. And for this cycle, (now in decline) there are quite often such nice big spots! Attached image is from late yesterday afternoon EDT 9/17/2015. That nice round spot is about 0.4 arc-min across the umbra and about a full arc-min including the penumbra. An arc-min is the place-holder photopic resolution of the 20/20 healthy human eye. My vision is 20/13 so this spot is pretty easy. Anyway, I just looked now (1pm on the 18th) and it is even easier than yesterday! So I gota go haul out the scopes. Image from yesterday attached. Tom Dey
Attached Image:
29-inch Dob in a dome
36-inch upgrade soon
LUNT 80/80 solar scope
FLI 6803 cam
APM 100mm APO Binos
JMI RB-16 Night Vision Binos
Zeiss 20x60 IS binos