The Sun, the Moon and an Airship - Solar Observing, Friday 10 July 2026
- Mike Meynell
- 2 days ago
- 5 min read
Updated: 1 hour ago
Following the recent spell of very hot weather, our latest public solar viewing session at the Royal Observatory Greenwich took place in rather more manageable conditions. Temperatures still climbed into the high 20s during the afternoon, but a welcome breeze made the heat much more bearable than many of us had feared.
One addition that made a real difference throughout the day was the large gazebo erected by the Royal Observatory staff. Providing a much larger shaded area than usual, it offered welcome relief for both our volunteers and visitors while waiting to look through the telescopes. On warm days such as this, the extra shelter is invaluable.
The large gazebo providing much needed shelter on a hot day. Pictures by Mike Meynell and Frederik Botha.
The range of equipment on display was one of the best we've had. Richard brought along his new 80mm Lunt hydrogen-alpha telescope for its first public outing. After receiving approval from ROG astronomer Greg, it quickly proved to be an excellent addition to our observing sessions, providing spectacular views whenever the atmosphere allowed.
Paul May also brought along his spectroheliograph, together with a simple but effective hood for his laptop, making it much easier for visitors to see the display in bright daylight. It was good to see ROG astronomer Jake spending time discussing the instrument with Paul. The spectroheliograph is a fascinating addition to our events, showing a very different way of observing the Sun.
White-light views were provided by Paul Merriman and Frederik with their Dwarf 3 smart telescopes, together with Yvonne's Seestar S30. Alongside them, the ever-popular Sunspotter once again proved to be one of the busiest attractions of the day.
The biggest challenge came from the weather. A persistent layer of high haze remained for much of the session, softening the view considerably. The Sun often appeared as though it were being viewed through water, particularly through the hydrogen-alpha telescopes, where contrast was noticeably reduced. Even so, there was still plenty to see. A large sunspot group near the centre of the solar disc dominated the view, together with a fainter chain of sunspots nearer the limb. Several spectacularly long filaments stretched across the solar surface, while smaller prominences gradually became easier to pick out as conditions improved later in the afternoon.
The Sun was not the only object attracting attention during the day. With the Moon around 20% illuminated, ROG astronomers Greg and Jake, together with a couple of the Live Science Presenters, attempted to give visitors daytime views of our nearest neighbour. Early technical problems with one of the telescopes prompted a rapid trip down the hill by Greg to collect a replacement, while the combination of haze and cloud continued to frustrate their efforts. For much of the day, the telescope found an alternative target in the spire of Our Ladye Star of the Sea church in nearby Crooms Hill! Eventually, persistence paid off as the cloud briefly parted, allowing visitors to catch some lovely glimpses of the slender crescent Moon. I also managed to capture it with nothing more than an iPhone - a nice reminder that there is often much more to see in the daytime sky than people realise.
Visitor numbers ebbed and flowed throughout the day, with some busy periods followed by quieter spells, but we estimate that around 350 people looked through the telescopes during the session.
It was particularly encouraging to hear from one family who had travelled specifically to attend the solar viewing session. Paul Merriman spoke to a father whose daughter, about to start Year 9, had recently developed an interest in astronomy. After searching online, they had discovered our website and decided to make the trip to Greenwich. It was great to hear that our website is helping people find these events, and even better to know that our solar observing sessions are becoming a destination in their own right.
We were also delighted to welcome Graham to his first solar observing session as a Flamsteed volunteer. Hopefully it will be the first of many.
The session also marked what is likely to be Raymond's final solar observing event before returning to Finland. Raymond has become a familiar face at our sessions and will certainly be missed, not least for his remarkable knowledge of Finnish politics! Earlier this season, he was the only one of us to recognise the former Prime Minister of Finland among the visitors to the Observatory! We wish Raymond all the very best and hope to see him back in Greenwich on a future visit.
As always, everyone pitched in wherever they were needed. John spent much of the day directing visitors towards us between leading Observatory tours, while Tim made a brief cameo appearance during one of his own tours. Simon looked after the Coronado for much of the session in his own inimitable style, while Alec somehow managed to assist on virtually every telescope and the Sunspotter at one point or another, once again demonstrating his versatility. It was another excellent team effort that kept the day running smoothly.
One unexpected attraction throughout the afternoon was the Goodyear Blimp, which made several passes over the Observatory. It generated almost as much interest as the telescopes themselves. I managed to photograph it passing behind the Time Ball on Flamsteed House, while Frederik had great fun using the object-tracking feature on his Dwarf 3 to follow the airship across the sky.
The blimp even made one final appearance via the Sunspotter. Its large shadow briefly swept across the projected image of the Sun, catching everyone by surprise and providing a rather unusual end to another enjoyable day of public solar observing.
Despite the haze and increasing heat, it was another successful day of public solar viewing. Many thanks to all of the volunteers who helped set up, operate the equipment, talk to visitors and pack everything away at the end of the session.