from spaceweather.com:

“Oct. 11: A new sunspot is emerging near the sun’s northeastern limb. It’s the biggest active region in months and appears to be a member of new Solar Cycle 24. Readers, if you have a solar telescope, now is the time to watch sunspot genesis in action. Image from Pete Lawrence of Selsey, West Sussex, UK…”

“Coronado’s Personal Solar Telescope–PST for short–is a great way to get started with solar astronomy. The telescope is small, portable, and inexpensive–but it is a big performer. Looking through the eyepiece of a PST you can see vast dark solar filaments, red glowing prominences, and seething active regions where sunspots break through the sun’s surface.

“At the heart of the PST is a Coronado ‘H-alpha’ filter tuned to the red glow of solar hydrogen. It reveals phenomena invisible to ordinary white-light telescopes and, best of all, it is utterly safe. You can’t hurt your eyes looking through a PST.”