HOW TO VIEW AND TAKE PHOTOGRAPHS
OF THE SUN WITHOUT BLINDING YOURSELF

From the outset I should say that the technique used here is not new, it involves using one side of a pair or binoculars (or a telescope) as a projector.

Take a sheet of cardboard and cut a hole in it which is just big enough for one side of the binoculars to see through. Fix it to the binoculars with blu tac or sticky tape. Mount the binoculars on a tripod and adjust the position so that they are facing the sun.

As you adjust the tripod you will be able to see the sun shining through the image lens. The sun is so bright that particles of dust on the lens allow you to see this quite clearly, even though you are at an angle to the lens and a few feet away (never look through binoculars directly at the sun!).

Adjust the position of the binoculars so that the sun appears directly in the middle of this lens, then place a sheet of white cardboard a few feet behind the binoculars and focus the image onto it. A darkened room works best and will give a clear and bright image several inches across.

This picture of the Sun was taken by Steve on the 30th October 2003

The photograph below was taken less than 24 hours previously. Note just how much the sunspots have moved during this short period of time.

This picture of the Sun was taken by Steve on the 29th October 2003

The camera used to take these photos was a Fuji S602 Pro, which is a 3.3 megapixel digital. The focal distance was about 50cm. The images were then processed to increase the contrast and provide a realistic colour.

Steve White, G3ZVW.

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