The Sagamore Hill Solar Radio Observatory is a
solar
Solar may refer to:
Astronomy
* Of or relating to the Sun
** Solar telescope, a special purpose telescope used to observe the Sun
** A device that utilizes solar energy (e.g. "solar panels")
** Solar calendar, a calendar whose dates indicate t ...
radio
Radio is the technology of signaling and communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 30 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmit ...
observatory
An observatory is a location used for observing terrestrial, marine, or celestial events. Astronomy, climatology/meteorology, geophysical, oceanography and volcanology are examples of disciplines for which observatories have been constructed. His ...
located in
Hamilton, Massachusetts, that operates on a daily basis to obtain scientific observations of the
Sun. It is a functional component of the
Radio Solar Telescope Network (RSTN).
History
It became apparent in the early 1960s that certain
space weather events might interfere with the U.S. objective of putting a man on the moon. Foremost among these concerns was the possibility of a
geomagnetic storm of solar origin. Metric Type II radio bursts, signatures of coronal shock waves or
coronal mass ejections
A coronal mass ejection (CME) is a significant release of plasma (physics), plasma and accompanying magnetic field from the Sun's Solar corona, corona into the heliosphere. CMEs are often associated with solar flares and other forms of solar ac ...
, were known to be commonly associated with
solar flares
A solar flare is an intense localized eruption of electromagnetic radiation in the Sun's atmosphere. Flares occur in active regions and are often, but not always, accompanied by coronal mass ejections, solar particle events, and other solar phe ...
. The
United States Air Force Research Laboratory
The Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) is a scientific research organization operated by the United States Air Force Materiel Command dedicated to leading the discovery, development, and integration of aerospace warfighting technologies, pl ...
(AFRL) was thus assigned the task of developing and validating a network of ground-based solar observatories. AFRL established a worldwide network of sweep frequency recorders from which estimates of the shock speed in the corona could be made. The prototype was assembled and operated at Sagamore Hill during the early 1960s. The observatory began operating solar patrols in 1966.
The
Air Force Geophysics Laboratory (AFGL) transferred operation of the observatory to the Air Force in October 1978. The observatory is now officially Detachment 2,
2nd Weather Squadron
The 2nd Weather Squadron (2 WS) is an active United States Air Force unit assigned to the 2nd Weather Group of the 557th Weather Wing and is headquartered at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska. The squadron's mission is broad and includes the pre ...
of the
2nd Weather Group of the
557th Weather Wing
The 557th Weather Wing is a United States Air Force formation and its lead military meteorology center. It reports environmental situational awareness worldwide to the Air Force, the United States Army, joint warfighters, Unified Combatant Comma ...
. The 2nd Weather Squadron currently operates other RSTN observatories at
Kaena Point, Hawaii;
San Vito dei Normanni, Italy; and
Learmonth,
Western Australia
Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...
.
[
]
Instruments
Instruments currently located at the Sagamore Hill RSTN site include the Radio Interference Monitoring Sets (RIMS) and the Solar Radio Spectrograph (SRS).[ The RIMS system consists of three dishes observing at eight different frequencies, while the SRS system consists of two antennas observing two different frequency bands.
The site previously included a 150-foot fully steerable antenna, which was installed in 1963 and moved to ]Millstone Hill
The Millstone Hill Steerable Antenna, or MISA, is a fully steerable dish antenna, in diameter, designed by the Stanford Research Institute (SRI) in 1959. It is currently located at MIT Haystack Observatory in Westford, Massachusetts.
History
MI ...
in Westford, Massachusetts in 1978. In 1967, this parabolic dish
A parabolic (or paraboloid or paraboloidal) reflector (or dish or mirror) is a reflective surface used to collect or project energy such as light, sound, or radio waves. Its shape is part of a circular paraboloid, that is, the surface generated ...
was used to receive data from the solar research satellite OV1-5
Orbiting Vehicle 1-5 (also known as OV1-5) was launched 30 Mar 1966, and was the fifth satellite (and third successful satellite) in the OV1 series of the United States Air Force's Orbiting Vehicle program. OV1-5 conducted optical experiments, sur ...
, and to conduct ionospheric
The ionosphere () is the ionized part of the upper atmosphere of Earth, from about to above sea level, a region that includes the thermosphere and parts of the mesosphere and exosphere. The ionosphere is ionized by solar radiation. It plays an im ...
research by receiving transmissions from the Intelsat 1 and ATS-1
ATS-1 (Applications Technology Satellite 1) was the first experimental geostationary satellite, launched in 1966. Though intended as a communications satellite rather than as a weather satellite, it carried the Spin Scan Cloud Camera developed ...
satellites.
See also
* Solar telescope
A solar telescope is a special purpose telescope used to observe the Sun. Solar telescopes usually detect light with wavelengths in, or not far outside, the visible spectrum. Obsolete names for Sun telescopes include heliograph and photoheliograph ...
* List of astronomical observatories
This is a list of astronomical observatories ordered by name, along with initial dates of operation (where an accurate date is available) and location. The list also includes a final year of operation for many observatories that are no longer in ...
References
{{Reflist
External links
557th Weather Wing, 2d Weather Group
557th Weather Wing
Radio telescopes
Buildings and structures in Hamilton, Massachusetts
Military facilities in Massachusetts