First light with the SkyWatcher Heliostar 100.
I only meant to take a quick look through the scope, but as soon as I saw the solar limb filled with these huge prominences, I had to grab a quick image. This was not a planned or well-executed photo session by any means - I just had to take a picture.
Solar prominences are a bit like clouds: the longer you look at them, the more your imagination starts to take over. In this one I immediately saw something like a firebird, or maybe a dragon, rising from the edge of the Sun. The shapes are temporary, always changing, but for a brief moment they feel almost alive.
A very exciting first outing with this solar scope - it definitely made a strong first impression.