The Solar Observing Optical Network (SOON) consists of three U.S. Air Force (USAF)

Air Force Weather Agency The atmosphere of Earth is the layer of gases, known collectively as air, retained by Earth's gravity that surrounds the planet and forms its planetary atmosphere. The atmosphere of Earth protects life on Earth by creating pressure allowing for ...

(AFWA)

solar observatories 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 indica ...

. AFWA operates a

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 ...

at each site to monitor solar active regions at optical wavelengths. The National Geophysical Data Center (NGDC) archives histograms of intensity versus area every minute for the active regions. It also archives

magnetogram Magnetogram may refer to: * Solar magnetogram In solar observation, a magnetogram is a pictorial representation of the spatial variations in strength of the solar magnetic field. Solar magnetograms are produced by solar magnetographs. Some magne ...

s of the magnetic field structure and tachograms of plasma velocities on an irregular schedule. The SOON observatories are operated by detachments of AFWA's 2nd Weather Group at the following sites: *

RAAF Learmonth RAAF Base Learmonth, also known as Learmonth Airport , is a joint use Royal Australian Air Force base and civil airport. It is located near the town of Exmouth on the north-west coast of Western Australia. RAAF Base Learmonth is one of the RAA ...

, Western Australia, Australia *

Holloman AFB Holloman Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base established in 1942 located six miles (10 km) southwest of the central business district of Alamogordo, and a census-designated place in Otero County, New Mexico, United States. Th ...

, New Mexico, USA * San Vito dei Normanni Air Station, San Vito dei Normanni, Italy (contractor-run site) Telescopes at Palehua, Hawaii and

Ramey Air Force Base Ramey Air Force Base is a former United States Air Force base in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico. It was named after United States Army Air Forces Brigadier General Howard Knox Ramey. Following its closure, it was redeveloped into Rafael Hernandez Airpo ...

, Puerto Rico have been shut down. SOON Telescope History: The original SOON network was designed by Dr. Richard B. Dunn, a Harvard educated engineer/astrophysicist. Dr. Dunn commissioned the Tower Telescope (later designated the Dunn Solar Tower) on Sacramento Peak, Sunspot, NM in the late 60s. The SOON network of 5 solar telescopes was built at Sunspot for the USAF working with international partners at far flung sites. The Dunn Solar Tower at Sunspot, NM will potentially be idled when the Advanced Technology Solar Telescope, or DKIST, is commissioned on Maui. There is an active Consolidated Repair Activity (CRA) based out of Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico which is operated by the 49th Communications Squadron. The CRA provides depot-level maintenance and support to the SOON program. The CRA also develops maintenance procedures, institutes physical (non-software) updates, and overhauls all three telescopes on a regular basis.

Description

The basic SOON telescope is a evacuated refractor mounted on a polar axis. It has a tunable monochromatic filter centered on the

hydrogen-alpha H-alpha (Hα) is a specific deep-red visible spectral line in the Balmer series with a wavelength of 656.28 nm in air and 656.46 nm in vacuum; it occurs when a hydrogen electron falls from its third to second lowest energy level. H-alpha ...

absorption line A spectral line is a dark or bright line in an otherwise uniform and continuous spectrum, resulting from emission or absorption of light in a narrow frequency range, compared with the nearby frequencies. Spectral lines are often used to iden ...

at in the Sun's light spectrum. Shifting the filter's characteristics slightly away from the center of the H-alpha peak results in pictures of the solar surface region at differing depths. Corresponding to the optical images of solar regions are the digital "brightness-area" data. These data are often plotted as brightness-area histograms for a particular time or, in a 3-3-dimensional display, showing a time sequence of changing intensity of optical emissions from areas of solar active regions. The automatic capability of the SOON telescope system allows the rapid collection of this brightness-area information on many active regions on the sun. By using these data, quantitative measures can be determined, include instability, growth/decay rates, and precise dimensions for each active solar region.

Improved Solar Observing Optical Network

The planned Improved Solar Observing Optical Network (ISOON) is intended to replace the current SOON network. As of 2012, ISOON only exists at a single pilot site on

Kirtland Air Force Base Kirtland Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located in the southeast quadrant of the Albuquerque, New Mexico urban area, adjacent to the Albuquerque International Sunport. The base was named for the early Army aviator Col. Roy ...

References

{{Reflist, refs= {{cite web, url=http://gcmd.nasa.gov/KeywordSearch/Metadata.do?Portal=GCMD&KeywordPath=%7C%5BFreetext%3D%27+gov.noaa.ngdc.solar.G00039+%27%5C&OrigMetadataNode=NOAA-NMMR&EntryId=gov.noaa.ngdc.solar.G00039&MetadataView=Full&MetadataType=0&lbnode=mdlb2, title=Solar Brightness and Magnetic Discontinuities Collected by the Solar Observing Optical Network (SOON), publisher=National Geophysical Data Center, accessdate=2011-10-14{{dead link, date=June 2021, bot=medic{{cbignore, bot=medic {{cite web, url=http://www.afweather.af.mil/library/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=16522, title=Factsheets: 2nd Weather Squadron, Solar Observing Optical Network, publisher=United States Air Force Weather Agency, accessdate=2011-10-14 {{cite web, url=http://nsosp.nso.edu/isoon, title=Improved Solar Observing Optical Network, publisher=National Solar Observatory, accessdate=2013-02-27

External links

USDOC/NOAA/NESDIS/National Geophysical Data Center (NGDC) Home Page

Space Weather Operations
from the Air Force Weather Agency Solar observatories Solar telescopes

Description

Improved Solar Observing Optical Network

See also

References

External links