Public Solar Observing
The Flamsteed have been running members’ and public solar observing sessions at the Royal Observatory Greenwich since 2003. The events are run entirely by Flamsteed volunteers, and all the equipment that we use at these sessions has been donated by the Flamsteed Astronomy Society to the Royal Observatory Greenwich for public outreach work.
NEVER LOOK DIRECTLY AT THE SUN (OR VIA A TELESCOPE OR BINOCULARS) WITHOUT A PROPER FILTER !!
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Depending on the weather and solar activity, volunteers from the Society set up Hydrogen-alpha telescopes for solar observing sessions at the Royal Observatory Greenwich on some weekdays and weekends between June and August from 11:30 to 16:00 hrs (approx).
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The Flamsteed Astronomy Society have donated to the ROG several solar observing telescopes equipped with Hydrogen-alpha filters. These special telescopes select only the red light emitted by hydrogen in the outer layers of the Sun, and cut out the dazzling light emitted due to the very high temperatures. This makes it possible to see the prominences at the edges of the Sun’s disc, as well as the sunspots and other magnetic disturbances. Volunteer members of the FAS will supervise public observing of the Sun through the telescopes when the sky is clear enough, and show visitors that astronomy is not just a night-time activity.
