MSO- 004 The Sun

MSO 004 — Solar Disk with Active Regions

Division: SGO (Shank Gym Observatory)

Object: Sun (Solar Photosphere)

Capture Type: White-light / Solar continuum

Location: Bowling Green, Florida, USA

Coordinates (SGO):

27.6389° N, 81.8234° W

Date: Friday, December 13, 2025

Local Time: 3:00 pm

Bortle Class: Not applicable (solar observation)

Observer: Tom Shankapotomous

Equipment (as used)

Telescope: Smart solar-capable telescope (Seestar S50)

Filter: Integrated solar filter (white-light safe configuration)

Camera: Integrated CMOS

Mount: Alt-az (internal)

Acquisition: Automated stack

Post-Processing: Minimal contrast and color balance only

Observational Notes

The solar disk presents as a uniform orange continuum with multiple discrete sunspot groups visible across the photosphere.

The most prominent feature is a central dark spot, sharply defined relative to surrounding granulation, with several smaller active regions distributed toward the lower right quadrant.

The limb shows clean curvature with no obvious distortion, indicating good atmospheric stability at time of capture. No faculae or limb darkening artifacts dominate the image, suggesting a well-balanced exposure and filter performance.

This is not a dramatic solar event image; its value lies in quiet confirmation—the Sun as a working star, marked by surface instability yet visually calm.

Interpretive Context (SGO framing)

• SSolar images like this function as temporal anchors rather than aesthetic statements.

• The sunspots visible here are transient on human timescales, yet entirely routine on stellar ones. Capturing them from Bowling Green situates the observer not as a spectator of cosmic drama, but as a participant in ongoing, unexceptional cosmic processes.

  
  

Cross-Links

SGO-SOLAR — Ongoing solar monitoring log

KNOW-ASTRO-TIME — Phenomenology of astronomical routine

GROUND BELOW — Florida platform stability & latitude effects