>during the partial solar eclipse, using the >telescope solar image projection, we could see valleys and mountains on the >edge of the moon that was in front of the sun
It is possible to see the mountains & valleys of the moon through a telescope, but the seeing has to be very steady, and it is very rare to have this steadiness in the daytime unless you're in the middle of a lake or on a mountain. Air currents cause the moon's edge to become wavy, and the effect can look very much like mountains. Close inspection can differentiate; if it's air currents, the tips of the shadow (the 'mountaintops') will travel along the edge of the disc; if it's mountains, the tips will wave back & forth (also from air currents) but not travel. I'm not claiming that you saw one or the other, but I've been hard pressed to decide which it was on several occasions. The SOHO instruments are a great way to start the day. If you liked the still images, the animations are even better; they're updated several times a day & show the last ~48 hours of activity. The LASCO coronograph is the best: http://sohowww.nascom.nasa.gov/data/realtime/mpeg/ However, these are large files & if there's been little activity, all you see is the background stars drifting by. To quickly check if there's been a coronal mass ejection or other flareup, the best site I've seen is Spaceweather: http://www.spaceweather.com/ The best way to get a really clear picture of sunspots, updated daily, is at the Mt. Wilson site: http://www.astro.ucla.edu/~obs/intro.html Click on the drawing of sunspots to get a bigger image, then again for a much bigger one. The TRACE satellite has been producing the most beautful images & movies of details of solar activity: http://vestige.lmsal.com/TRACE/ This image is unbelievable; just printed in Sky & Telescope: http://vestige.lmsal.com/TRACE/POD/images/T171_000719_232925.gif _______________________________________ Peter Abrahams [EMAIL PROTECTED] The history of the telescope & the binocular: http://www.europa.com/~telscope/binotele.htm
