Solar observations: Jan and Feb 2021

We all hoped that 2021 would start with solar activity to observe and get excited about. Monty Leventhal is a dedicated solar observer, whose daily reports (in clear weather) are submitted to several databases around the globe. Whilst prominences are notable it is sunspots that raise hopes of solar activity we should be experiencing in this phase of the solar cycle. Monty always practises safe solar viewing.

January 2021

January observations got off to a bad start with rain and cloud cover until the 4th UT. On that day the only activity that could be seen was a curved pillar Prominence on the NW limb reaching a height of about 47,000km. Note the north point of the Sun P° is only 0.07° east.

Due to cloud cover the next observation was made on the 6th when all that could be seen was a filament in the SW quadrant. On the SW limb a hedgerow Prominence reached a height of 56,000km and stretched across the limb for approximately 177,000km. No significant observations were made until the 12th January when a double arched Prominence was seen on the NW limb reaching a height of about 65,000km.

It was not until the 15th that I saw my first Sunspots of the month.

It was a small Cri group with a CV (6) in AR12796. Its position was at a latitude of -23 & longitude of 94. No Prominences or any other activity could be seen. The following day all that could be seen of that group in AR12796 was a single Axx spot with a CV of 1.

February 2021

Though towards the end of January Sunspot activity became more active but now this activity became much less. On the 1st February only one single Axx spot could be seen in the NW in AR12801. No Prominences could be seen.

It was not until the 20th February that a further single Axx spot was seen in the NE in AR12803.

Two other groups were seen by other observers in different parts of the world but during my watch. On the 23rd February two new groups of Sunspots appeared and for the first time I think in years one group appeared in the northern hemisphere and the other in the south. In the north It was a Bxo group with two spots in AR12804 and in the south another single Axx spot in AR12805.

By the 25th these two groups grew much larger in size and all had Penumbra that I could see.

The group in the north had a CV of Dro (13) in AR 12804 and the group in the south was a single Hax (7) spot in AR12805. Cloud cover prevented observations on the 26th and by the 27th the single southern spot in AR12805 had faded away. The group in AR12804 had now reduced in size to a CV Csi (12) and will probably rotate around the western edge of the Sun tomorrow but I only saw two significant Prominences though very faint. On the 28th a new Axx spot was observed in AR12806.

Total observing days = 18. R = 5. Q = 1. CV = 2.1

Monty Leventhal OAM.