SHINE: Synoptic Observations in Support of Solar and Heliospheric Modelling

University Of California-Los Angeles, Los Angeles CA

Investigators

Abstract

In this project, the proposing team will digitally record observations of the state of the solar surface using UCLA's Mt. Wilson Observatory (MWO) 150-foot solar tower telescope. MWO records of solar surface magnetic fields and flow velocities go back to 1967, and the Principal Investgator for this project notes that this long duration record provides a unique database for tests of existing solar cycle models. Measurements of the state of motion and magnetism on the Sun's surface are necessary for defining and testing models of solar variability and instability, and MWO data will be provided to the scientific and operational communities who develop quantitative predictions of the space environment. MWO data will continue to help improve our understanding of the sunspot cycle, and potentially make it possible to predict the level of solar magnetic activity for future cycles, thereby contributing to operational space weather forecasting.