“Hot Stuff!” – Solar Viewing at the ROG, Friday 11 July 2025

Nine events planned so far this season – and nine successfully delivered. We’re beginning to wonder when our luck will run out.

There was never any real doubt that this one would go ahead. The skies were completely clear all day, not a hint of cloud from start to finish. The only real concern was the heat – temperatures pushing 30°C by mid-afternoon, and very little breeze to take the edge off. So we were careful: extra breaks, plenty of water, and a slightly earlier finish than usual, wrapping up at 3.10pm after a 10.15am start.

Despite being a Friday, we still had around 500 visitors, including seven school groups over the course of the day. The site may have been a little quieter overall than usual – likely a combination of weekday timings and high temperatures – but we were busy throughout.

The Sun didn’t disappoint. A good spread of sunspots across the disc, and some striking prominences visible all day in H-alpha. The heat may have slowed us down a little, but the solar activity kept things interesting.

The Sunspotter once again proved its worth, especially for younger visitors and when queues formed at the main telescope. Alec had made a small but inspired modification earlier in the day – adding some Teflon tape to improve the movement of the mount in altitude. It worked brilliantly, making the instrument much smoother and easier to use throughout the session.

The gazebo came into its own again – giving visitors a bit of shade while waiting their turn at the scopes. The volunteers, meanwhile, put in a full shift in challenging conditions. Thanks to everyone who helped out – it really was an excellent team effort. Special mention to Mike Duda and Paul Merriman, both on their first solar event. They jumped straight in and did a great job – a very welcome addition to the team.

Long may the good run continue.

Next up: Shrewsbury Park Summer Festival on Sunday 20 July, then back to the Royal Observatory for our next solar viewing session on Saturday 26 or Sunday 27 July.

Pictures from the event (by Phil Benson, Simon Hurst and Mike Meynell):