As modern technology leans more and more on space-based assets, and humans again draw up plans to return to the moon and beyond, accurate, real-time observations of solar activity become increasingly important to protect satellites, communications systems and the health of astronauts.
Since 2006, a research program run by the National Science Foundation’s National Solar Observatory has provided continual observational data of solar activity from a global network of six identical telescopes to support space weather prediction, and the study of the Sun’s internal structure and dynamics.
Recently, the NSO successfully transitioned the processing of these important observations of the Sun’s magnetic field and lower atmosphere to the operational control of NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC), a move that will ensure reliable delivery of the data to the NOAA’s space weather forecasters who are the nation’s official civilian source for space weather watches, warnings, alerts, and forecasts.
“This is an excellent example of research to operations in science,” said Valentin Martinez Pillet, Director of NSO. “We took a network that was not designed to provide observations in such regimented ways, and we adapted it for use in space weather forecasting. This adjustment of purpose shows the value that can be had by federal agencies combining efforts to work together.”
The newly operationalized data are collected through the GONG network – an array of six solar telescopes distributed across the world and strategically located to provide continuous coverage of the Sun’s dynamic behavior. The data streams feature detailed images of the Sun’s magnetism at its surface, as well as canopies of plasma suspended above the Sun’s surface known as filaments. Both of these types of data are vital for understanding the explosive nature of our local star.
“Our forecasters use imagery from GONG to monitor solar activity, such as solar flares, and for situational awareness,” said Brent Gordon, Chief of the Space Weather Services Branch, Space Weather Prediction Center. “The transition of these data streams to “operational” status will ensure robust delivery of the observations to space weather forecasters, something that is not feasible using research infrastructure.”
About a decade ago, SWPC began using GONG’s near-real-time maps of the Sun’s magnetic field as inputs for powerful models that predict the conditions of the solar wind and coronal mass ejections at Earth. These maps are updated hourly, combining simultaneously acquired data from multiple GONG sites and incorporating many thousands of observations from the past month to provide a more complete picture of the entire Sun.
“The data processing is rather involved, and its successful operationalization is the result of a lot of hard work by many people at both SWPC and NSO,” acknowledged CIRES’ Andy Marble, a research scientist and manager of the transition of this data handling to SWPC.
NSO will continue to operate the GONG telescopes for NSF, with NOAA SWPC sharing the costs of operating and maintaining the GONG network as well as maintaining the responsibility for processing and disseminating observational space weather data products.
“NSF is proud to partner with NOAA and NSO for the operation of the GONG facility,” said Carrie Black, NSF Program Director for NSO. “While GONG remains an important part of NSF’s solar research portfolio, these new operational space weather capabilities have greatly broadened its overall scientific mission.”
The next iteration of the GONG network, currently nicknamed “next generation GONG” or ngGONG is already under development at NSO, with input from a wide variety of nationwide partners. “Where GONG has been converted to support space weather forecasting” explains Alexei Pevtsov, Associate Director at NSO, “ngGONG is being designed especially to optimize support for space weather research and operations.”
Space weather has gained the attention of Congress throughout the past decade. The potential impact of large solar eruptions disrupting critical technologies like the nationwide power grid, Global Positioning System navigation, and communication infrastructure has grown with our increasing reliance on these technologies. With the expected return of humans to the moon and on to Mars, predicting events that could expose astronauts to hazardous levels of radiation takes on a new urgency.
Link to article: https://nso.edu/press-release/critical-solar-observations-from-nsfs-gong-network-now-maintained-by-noaas-space-weather-prediction-center/
**************
-
Media contacts:
- National Solar Observatory, Claire Raftery, Head of Education, Outreach and Communication craftery@nso.edu
- U.S. National Science Foundation, Media Affairs, media@nsf.gov
- NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center, Maureen O’Leary maureen.oleary@noaa.gov and Theo Stein Theo.stein@noaa.gov
