Fun, Clouds and a Splash of Sun – Solar Observing at the ROG for Annie Maunder Day: 14 April 2025

“I’m waiting on a sunny day, gonna chase the clouds away…” – as the Boss once sang, and how true that felt for our second solar special event at the Royal Observatory Greenwich, celebrating Annie Maunder Day.

The day began with me, Mike, and Richard setting up the Lunt solar telescope. With the mixed forecasts, hopes weren’t high, but we’re a hardy bunch of volunteers and always optimistic.

Yvonne, Helen, Tim, and John arrived shortly afterwards and – would you believe it – we had our first glimpse of the Sun! Woohoo! That was enough to get the first visitors lining up, and soon we were showing off some very nice sunspots. The usual “wows” and excited noises confirmed what we always hope – yes, they can see something through the eyepiece!

The Sun taken by a SmartScope during the event - picture by Mike Meynell

Despite the persistent cloud cover, the Sun made brief appearances throughout the day, teasing us with intermittent views. These fleeting gaps in the clouds added a sense of suspense for the visitors waiting for that special moment when the Sun revealed itself.

Even though it was a Monday during half term, around 250 people came along to learn about our star – and for many, to see it safely through a telescope for the very first time.

The session was eventually cut short by about 30 minutes as the cloud thickened and refused to budge – but by then, plenty of people had already enjoyed a memorable glimpse of the Sun.

John, Helen, Mike, Yvonne and Richard, with the Lunt scope, at the end of the observing session - picture by Simon Hurst