The Tal 1 has an attachment for projecting the sun's image on to a screen.  Block off  the finderscope so no-one accidentally looks through. 

Here is the screen in use during the Transit of Venus, finderscope blocked off.  

The Tal 1 has a cap with a hole in to reduce the amount of sunlight going through.  There is also a 'solar' filter for use in projection - NEVER look through this at the Sun

This is also during the transit of Venus - but I generally use binoculars, pointed at the Sun and the image projected on to white paper to follow Sunspots

Solar Viewer from the BAA - useful for a naked-eye look at the sun to check out large sunspots

Sunspot 596 on 24th April 2004 projected onto the Tal solar screen

Again - showing the never far-off clouds!!

After poor forecasts the sun came out in Greater Manchester!! 

 Tal set up - Cap with hole in it - projection screen fixed on

09:53 UT Tested it out - spotted a sunspot but no indent!

09:54 UT - found first indent in top left corner - Tal projects upside down and I was standing at the side - work it uot yourselves 8-)

Naturally the cloud dashed in for a quarter of an hour!!

Back came the sun around 10:12 UT

10:13 UT

10:19 UT

Cloud coming back 10:28 UT

Last from the projection 10:29 UT then it became too faint

Took a camera video at 10:34 UT through the BAA Solar Filter (see Sunspots) Here is stacked result.

Starling had been cursing on the chimney pot, wanting his breakfast - got his wish as the clouds thickened at 10:39 UT!!

09:58 took photo from webcast

10:36 UT - clouded out in Backyard now - just after video shot above

10:54 UT bite lessening

10:06 UT

10:43 UT

11:05 UT - Diamond Ring

10:40 UT BBC News photograph from Egypt

11:00 UT from Exploratorium in Turkey

11:03 UT from NASA and Exploratorium again - thanks folks!

Clouded out completely the whole time in Greater Manchester

Seemed to get darker around 10 am BST but then maybe it was just the cloud getting thicker ... ;-)

Partial Eclipse of the Sun

Monday 3rd October 2005

07:50 - 010:16 UT approx

max cover at around

 09:00 UT - 10:00 BST

Below are photos from Peter Grego's webcast from Birmingham - cloud cover from about 09:05 UT, shortly after 3rd photo it would appear - then simulations?

Thanks Peter 

Photos from Norwegian Astronomical Society webcast in Heggedal - thanks folks!

Watched all the sequence

Eclipse not as full in Norway as in Birmingham (66%) - middle photos about highest cover

Photograph by Keith Summers 

Managed to see the eclipse for part of the time - using projection through holes in cardboard (no Tal then!).  Clouds - as ever - were always threatening but a friend managed to use them to get this atmospheric reminder.

Space Weather News for July 26, 2005
http://spaceweather.com

At any given moment, only one side of the sun faces Earth.  The other side, the farside, is hidden from direct view. Nevertheless, it is possible to monitor activity "over there."  In recent days the farside of the sun has been very active.  One or more sunspots have been exploding, hurling coronal mass ejections (CMEs) over the sun's limb.  Because the sun spins, sunspots on the farside now will be rotating around to face Earth later this week and next, raising the possibility of geomagnetic storms and auroras.
Visit http://spaceweather.com for more information and updates

For more on Solar viewing and recording see: http://www.popastro.com/sections/solar.htm

For lots of information on the Sun and Sunspots visit SOHO:  http://sohowww.nascom.nasa.gov/

For today's sunspots and more views of the Sun and other interesting solar things see:  http://spaceweather.com/