Solar Section Publications

The Solar Section has a monthly Newsletter containing observer’s observations such as daily number of groups and sunspots numbers or images together with a description of white light and hydrogen alpha activity.  Most Newsletters include contributions from Members such as their equipment set up or observing technique. Newsletters from 1984 are available.

The outline of an example Newsletter is shown below:

Solar related papers have been published in the BAA Journal as listed below (since 1999):

  • John Simpson, ‘Sunspots noticed accidentally – a preliminary survey’, J. Brit. Astron. Assoc., 134, 259-269 (2024)
  • Peter Meadows, ‘The size of the Carrington Event sunspot group’, J. Brit. Astron. Assoc., 134, 215-216 (2024)
  • Randy Tatum, ‘Observations of a major solar flare, revisited’, J. Brit. Astron. Assoc., 133, 389-391 (2023)
  • C. Alexandra Hart, Matt Penn & Peter Meadows, ‘Multiwavelength observations of polar faculae’, J. Brit. Astron. Assoc., 132, 23-30 (2022)
  • Peter Meadows, ‘The five greatest sunspot groups’, J. Brit. Astron. Assoc., 131, 375-383 (2021)
  • Peter Meadows, ‘Sunspot groups without active region numbers’, J. Brit. Astron. Assoc., 131, 145-157 (2021)
  • Peter Meadows, Lyn Smith & John Cook, ‘A comparison of BAA Solar Section white-light measurements’, J. Brit. Astron. Assoc., 131, 22-26 (2021)
  • Paul G. Abel, ‘The 2019 transit of Mercury’, J. Brit. Astron. Assoc., 130, 289-292 (2020)
  • Fred Nye, ‘Solar prominences as markers of the Sun’s poloidal magnetic field’, J. Brit. Astron. Assoc., 130, 107-110 (2020)
  • John Simpson, ‘Naked-eye sunspot observations: a critical review of pre-telescope western reports’, J. Brit. Astron. Assoc., 130, 15-31 (2020)
  • Peter Meadows, ‘The BAA Solar Section observation databases’, J. Brit. Astron. Assoc., 129, 326-328 (2019)
  • Fred Nye, ‘Latitude movement of solar prominences, 2010-’17’, J. Brit. Astron. Assoc., 129, 279-281 (2019)
  • Peter Meadows, Lyn Smith & John Cook, ‘The larger sunspot groups of Cycle 24’, J. Brit. Astron. Assoc., 129, 222-231 (2019)
  • John Simpson, ‘The myth of Henry Hudson’s sunspots’, J. Brit. Astron. Assoc., 129, 89-94 (2019)
  • John Simpson, ‘A previously unreported naked-eye sunspot observation: 1604 November’, J. Brit. Astron. Assoc., 128, 175-176 (2018)
  • R. J. Livesey, ‘Observing sunspots from 1959 to 2015’, J. Brit. Astron. Assoc., 127, 280-282 (2017)
  • Kevin J. Kilburn, ‘Bipolar magnetic regions on the Sun and their associated H-alpha features’, J. Brit. Astron. Assoc., 127, 142-145 (2017)
  • Peter Meadows, ‘AR 12536: An unusual bipolar sunspot group’, J. Brit. Astron. Assoc., 127, 23-24 (2017)
  • Michael Hendrie, ‘Farewell to film: Imaging comets and the Sun the old way’, J. Brit. Astron. Assoc., 122, 97-103 (2012)
  • Fred Nye, ‘Invisible sunspots and ‘orphan’ prominences: an observational study’, J. Brit. Astron. Assoc., 120, 365-367 (2010)
  • Peter Meadows, ‘The parallactic angle and the solar observer’, J. Brit. Astron. Assoc., 117, 35-36 (2007)
  • Eric H. Strach, ‘Solar chromospheric darkenings around active areas’, J. Brit. Astron. Assoc., 116, 19-20 (2006)
  • J.C.D. Marsh, ‘Radio emission from the active Sun’, J. Brit. Astron. Assoc., 113, 153-156 (2003)
  • Peter Meadows, ‘The measurement of sunspot area’, J. Brit. Astron. Assoc., 112, 353-356 (2002)
  • R.J. Livesey, ‘How accurate are my sunspot observations?’,  J. Brit. Astron. Assoc., 112, 151-152 (2002)
  • Frank Ventura & Tony Tanti, ‘Sunspot cycle 22: A qualitative and quantitative analysis’, J. Brit. Astron. Assoc., 109, 210-214 (1999)
  • R.J. Livesey, ‘The ‘jamjar’ magnetometer, sixteen years on’, J. Brit. Astron. Assoc., 109, 144-146 (1999)

In addition several solar related Observer’s Forum, Observing Basics, Observer’s Workshop and Notes & News articles (other that the regular solar activity notes that appear in each Journal) have also been published in the Journal (since 1999):

  • Peter Meadows, ‘BAA Solar Section Webinar, 2023 February 18’, J. Brit. Astron. Assoc., 132, 191-193 (2023)
  • Thomas Teague, ‘Pro-am collaboration on a modern reconstruction of Carrington’s sunspot observations’, J. Brit. Astron. Assoc., 131, 140 (2021)
  • Peter Meadows, ‘Observing polar faculae’, J. Brit. Astron. Assoc., 130, 246-248 (2020)
  • David Arditti, ‘Equipment for observing the Sun (Part II: narrowband)’, J. Brit. Astron. Assoc., 130, 81 (2020)
  • John A. Cook, ‘The Radio Astronomy Group in 2019’, J. Brit. Astron. Assoc., 130, 74-76 (2020)
  • Lyn Smith, ‘How to find the Quality number of a sunspot group’, J. Brit. Astron. Assoc., 130, 72-73 (2020)
  • David Arditti, ‘Equipment for observing the Sun (Part I: broadband)’, J. Brit. Astron. Assoc., 130, 13 (2020)
  • John A. Cook, ‘The Radio Astronomy Group in 2018’, J. Brit. Astron. Assoc., 129, 110-111 (2019)
  • John A. Cook, ‘The Radio Astronomy Group in 2017’, J. Brit. Astron. Assoc., 128, 116-118 (2018)
  • Lyn Smith, ‘Observing the Sun’, J. Brit. Astron. Assoc., 122, 78-80 (2012)
  • John Cooke, ‘An introduction to solar radio astronomy’, J. Brit. Astron. Assoc., 121, 241-243 (2011)
  • Lee T. Macdonald, ‘Solar photography with a small telescope ’, J. Brit. Astron. Assoc., 124, 95-99 (2004)
  • Raymond Emery, ‘Adventures with a small H-alpha filter’, J. Brit. Astron. Assoc., 113, 170-172 (2003)
  • H.R. Hatfield, ‘An eruptive filament, 2000 September 12’, J. Brit. Astron. Assoc., 110, 334 (2000)
  • P. Paice, ‘Development of a large sunspot group, 2000 September 19-23’, J. Brit. Astron. Assoc., 110, 334 (2000)

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