Observing the Sun ― A Pocket Field Guide

“Observing the Sun” is for amateur astronomers at all three levels: beginning, intermediate, and advanced.

The beginning observer is often trying to find a niche or define a specific interest in his hobby, and the content of this book will spark that interest in solar observing because of the focus on the dynamics of the Sun.

Intermediate and advanced observers will find the book invaluable in identifying features (through photos, charts, diagrams) in a logical, orderly fashion and then guiding the observer to interpret the observations.

Because the Sun is a dynamic celestial body in constant flux, astronomers rarely know for certain what awaits them at the eyepiece. All features of the Sun are transient and sometimes rather fleeting. Given the number of features and the complex life cycles of some, it can be a challenging hobby. “Observing the Sun” provides essential illustrations, charts, and diagrams that depict the forms and life cycles of the numerous features visible on the Sun.

This is the second book written by Jamey Jenkins about the Sun. Springer published the first, The Sun and How to Observe It, in 2009 as a comprehensive look at solar observing. That book took a wide-ranging approach, explaining to the amateur astronomer the how and why of studying the nearest star. This venture, Observing the Sun: A Pocket Field Guide is meant for reference use at the telescope with a specific focus on the Sun’s abundant features. A product of the space age during the heyday of the 1960s Gemini and Apollo space programs, his first astronomical explorations led to a succession of increasingly larger telescopes and an invite to write for Dave Eicher’s fledgling amateur journal, Deep Sky Monthly.

Jenkins has contributed to the Sunspot Program of the American Association of Variable Star Observers (AAVSO) and is an active member of the Association of Lunar and Planetary Observers (ALPO) Solar Section. He’s also served as Assistant Section Coordinator of that group for a number of years. Jenkins photographs sunspots, watches calcium clouds, and studies prominence activity from his backyard observatory with a substantial 125 mm f/18 refractor. A significant development from the tiny Galilean lunar telescope of his past, this home-assembled telescope shows the Sun’s unique character, as a seething, boiling caldron of gas, and indeed the master of the solar system.