There is something profoundly humbling about turning a telescope toward the nearest star. Most of my observing time is spent collecting faint photons from distant deep-sky objects — galaxies, nebulae, and remnants far beyond our solar system. Yet on December 3rd, 2025, my attention shifted much closer to home.
That morning, the Sun itself became the target.
Using the DWARF 3, I captured a white-light image and accompanying video of an exceptionally large sunspot group crossing the solar disk. The observation quickly drew attention when I shared it on Reddit under my handle AstroFanM31, not because of exaggerated claims, but because of its sheer visual scale and clarity.
This article documents that observation carefully and transparently, what was captured, how it was measured, and what can (and cannot) be inferred from it.
What You’ll Learn from This Solar Observation
This article documents a real white-light solar observation captured with the DWARF 3 on December 3rd, 2025, during a period of heightened solar activity. Rather than focusing on dramatic or speculative claims, it walks through what can be reliably observed, measured, and explained using a compact smart telescope when it is used within its physical and optical limits.
By reading this article, you will learn how white-light solar imaging works in practice, what sunspots actually represent in terms of solar physics, and why apparent size alone does not determine space-weather impact. You will also see how still images and video complement each other in solar imaging, and how individual video frames can be responsibly extracted without introducing artificial detail.
Finally, the article demonstrates how engineering tools such as DraftSight can be used to perform proportional measurements on solar images, including Earth-scale overlays, while clearly explaining the limitations imposed by projection and foreshortening. The goal is not to sensationalize the Sun, but to show what meaningful solar documentation looks like when accuracy, transparency, and repeatability are prioritized.
Can the DWARF 3 Safely Image the Sun?
The DWARF 3 can image the Sun safely and effectively when used strictly in white-light configuration with a proper solar filter. This point cannot be overstated. Solar imaging always begins with safety, and any optical system must be properly filtered before being aimed at the Sun.
White-light solar imaging captures the Sun’s photosphere — the visible “surface” layer — rather than the chromosphere or corona. This makes it fundamentally different from hydrogen-alpha or calcium-K solar systems, which isolate extremely narrow spectral lines. The DWARF 3 is not designed to replace those instruments, nor does it attempt to.
Instead, it excels at full-disk documentation of sunspots, limb darkening, and large-scale surface structure. Within those boundaries, it performs reliably and repeatably.
What Are We Actually Seeing in a White-Light Solar Image?
When we see dark features scattered across the Sun’s disk, we are not seeing holes, shadows, or surface damage. These features are sunspots, regions of intense magnetic activity where convection is suppressed.
Sunspots appear dark because they are cooler relative to the surrounding photosphere, not because they are cold in any absolute sense. The average temperature of the photosphere is approximately 5,500 Kelvin, while the central region of a sunspot, the umbra, is several thousand degrees cooler. Even so, a sunspot isolated in space would shine brighter than the full Moon.
Umbra, Penumbra, and Magnetic Structure
Each sunspot consists of a dark central umbra surrounded by a lighter penumbra, which often exhibits a filamentary structure. These patterns are shaped by the underlying magnetic field geometry. Even with modest resolution, this structure is often visible in white-light images, especially when seeing conditions cooperate.
The December 3rd, 2025 Observation
On December 3rd, 2025, the Sun displayed a particularly large and visually striking sunspot group. In white light, the group spanned a significant fraction of the solar disk, immediately standing out as unusual by modern observational standards.
This image preserves the full geometry of the solar disk, allowing the sunspot group to be evaluated in context rather than isolation. This distinction matters when discussing size, scale, and physical interpretation.
How Large Was This Sunspot Group — Really?
The size of this sunspot group naturally invites comparison to historical solar events, including the often-referenced Carrington Event of 1859. While such comparisons are tempting, they must be handled carefully.
The Carrington Event is defined by its geomagnetic effects on Earth, not by a single solar image or the apparent size of a sunspot group alone. Size, while visually impressive, is only one variable among many.
Why Size Alone Is Not a Predictor of Space Weather
Major space-weather events depend on magnetic complexity, field orientation, and whether solar eruptions are Earth-directed. Some very large sunspots remain magnetically stable and relatively quiet, while smaller, more complex regions can produce powerful flares and coronal mass ejections.
This observation should therefore be described accurately as an exceptionally large sunspot group in apparent disk coverage, without overstating its historical or predictive significance.
Still Image Versus Video: Two Complementary Views
This observation included both a still image and a solar video. Each serves a different purpose.
The still image preserves global scale and context. It allows for proportional measurements and long-term comparison across days or solar rotations.
The video captures short-term atmospheric fluctuations. During brief moments of improved seeing, individual frames may resolve finer detail than the average still exposure.
By extracting a single high-quality frame from the video, it is possible to illustrate the limits of momentary resolution without misrepresenting the data.
Measuring the Sunspot Group with DraftSight
One of the most informative aspects of this observation was the use of DraftSight, a professional 2D CAD tool, to perform proportional measurements directly on the solar image.
By importing the solar image and defining the solar disk diameter, relative distances across the image can be measured consistently. This allows the sunspot group to be compared visually against familiar scales.
Earth-Diameter Overlays and Their Limitations
Overlaying Earth’s diameter multiple times across the sunspot group provides a powerful visual reference. However, these measurements represent lower-bound estimates. Because the Sun is a sphere, features away from the disk center are foreshortened. Their true size is larger than what appears in projection.
Acknowledging this limitation is essential for analytical honesty.
How the Image and Video Were Processed
Processing was intentionally conservative. Solar images can easily be over-processed, introducing artificial contrast or exaggerated edges that do not reflect physical reality.
Only minimal contrast adjustment and gentle sharpening were applied, with no upscaling or AI enhancement. The goal was faithful representation rather than dramatic effect.
Where the DWARF 3 Fits in Solar Imaging
The DWARF 3 occupies a unique niche. It is compact, accessible, and capable of producing scientifically meaningful white-light solar images without complex setup. While it does not replace dedicated solar telescopes, it excels as a documentation tool — particularly for observers interested in tracking solar activity over time.
Used thoughtfully, it allows amateur astronomers to participate in real solar observation with a clear understanding of both capabilities and limitations.
What This Solar Image Tells Us — and What It Doesn’t
This observation demonstrates that meaningful solar imaging does not require large observatories or exotic equipment. It shows scale, structure, and activity — but it does not predict solar storms or replicate chromospheric imaging.
Understanding that distinction is what turns an image into an observation.
Clear skies!
Frequently Asked Questions About Solar Imaging with the DWARF 3
Can the DWARF 3 really image the Sun?
Yes. When used with a proper solar filter, the DWARF 3 can safely capture white-light images of the Sun’s photosphere, including sunspots and limb darkening.
Why do sunspots look dark if the Sun is extremely hot?
Sunspots are cooler than the surrounding photosphere and emit less visible light, making them appear dark by contrast.
Does a large sunspot mean a major solar storm is coming?
No. Sunspot size alone does not determine space-weather impact. Magnetic structure and orientation are far more important.
Is video better than still images for solar imaging?
They serve different purposes. Still images preserve scale, while video allows individual sharp frames to be extracted during good seeing.
How accurate are size measurements from solar images?
They are meaningful for relative comparison but represent lower-bound estimates due to projection effects.
