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NSO Integrated Synoptic Program
Solar observation program From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The NSO Integrated Synoptic Program (NISP) is a program of the United States National Solar Observatory that provides long-term synoptic observations of the Sun to the international research and operational space weather communities. The program was established in 2011 and operates two facilities, the Global Oscillation Network Group (GONG) and the Synoptic Optical Long-term Investigations of the Sun (SOLIS).[1]
NISP observations and data products include near real-time magnetograms, H-alpha full-disk imaging, helioseismic measurements of the solar interior, far-side activity maps, and synoptic magnetic field maps.[2]
Headquarters for program management and data processing are in Boulder, Colorado.[3] NISP is part of NSO, which is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy under a cooperative agreement with the National Science Foundation.[4]
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History
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NSO formed the Integrated Synoptic Program in July 2011 to combine and coordinate its synoptic facilities. The program consolidated the Global Oscillation Network Group and the Synoptic Optical Long-term Investigations of the Sun under a single management and data system to improve efficiency and science return.[5][1]
In the 2010s NSO moved its headquarters to the University of Colorado East Campus in Boulder. Program leadership and data center operations for NISP are based at this site.[3]
SOLIS, one of the two NISP facilities, was located on the Kitt Peak Vacuum Telescope building until 2014. It was temporarily moved to the University of Arizona agricultural farm in Tucson until 2018, and is now being permanently relocated to Big Bear Solar Observatory in California. The relocation was carried out to improve operations and maintain long time series continuity.[6]
GONG, the other NISP facility, began operations in the mid-1990s as a six-site global network and has been progressively adapted for research-to-operations use in space weather. NSO has refurbished the network, including a camera replacement and pipeline validation effort reported in 2023, to extend service life and maintain data continuity.[7][8]
NISP data directly support heliophysics missions and operational centers. NSO highlights the use of GONG magnetic field and helioseismic products for NASA Parker Solar Probe science, while NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center uses GONG magnetograms and H-alpha imagery in daily forecasting.[9][10]
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Operations
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NISP delivers continuous, full-disk measurements of the solar interior and atmosphere, and it publishes standardized data products for research and operations. The program operates two facilities and associated pipelines.
Global Oscillation Network Group (GONG)
GONG is a network of six identical ground-based observing systems that provide nearly continuous coverage of the Sun for helioseismology, magnetic field monitoring, and H-alpha imaging. The sites are in California, Hawaii, Western Australia, India, the Canary Islands, and Chile. An engineering site is in Boulder, Colorado. The network supplies Doppler velocity observations for helioseismology, line-of-sight magnetograms, and H-alpha images used for solar flare and filament monitoring. The H-alpha system acquires 2048×2048 images at each site with a 1-minute cadence, and network timing is offset by 20 seconds between neighboring longitudes, so a new network image is available every 20 seconds. NSO provides these products in near real time for space weather applications.[10][7][11]
GONG helioseismology feeds a far-side mapping pipeline that produces twice-daily maps of magnetic activity on the side of the Sun not visible from Earth. The data are reduced at the sites, returned to the NSO Boulder data center, and processed to create far-side maps every 12 hours. These maps are distributed to NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center and are openly available to the community.[12][13]
GONG data products serve operational roles at national and international space weather centers. NSF and NSO have pursued design work for a next-generation ground-based solar observing network to replace aging GONG hardware and to preserve operational capabilities for forecasting. NISP refurbishment activities, including camera replacement and pipeline upgrades, support continuity of service as this planning proceeds.[10][7][8]
Synoptic Optical Long-term Investigations of the Sun (SOLIS)
SOLIS is a synoptic observing suite designed to measure magnetic and velocity fields across the full solar disk and to provide Sun-as-a-star spectral observations. The facility consists of two main instruments. Its Vector Spectromagnetograph produces full-disk vector magnetograms of the photosphere using iron I spectral lines at 630.15–630.25 nm, chromospheric magnetograms from calcium II at 854.2 nm, and records helium I line properties at 1083.0 nm. The Integrated Sunlight Spectrometer conducts twice-daily high- and moderate-resolution observations of selected spectral lines that trace solar cycle variability, including calcium II H & K and H-alpha lines. SOLIS produces daily magnetograms, Doppler velocity maps, equivalent width maps, coronal hole maps, and synoptic magnetic field charts. Following relocations in 2014 and 2018, SOLIS is being permanently moved to Big Bear Solar Observatory in California to ensure continued long-term operations.[6]
NISP produces standardized synoptic maps of the photospheric magnetic field and related quantities. In addition to SOLIS products, NSO's Solar-atmosphere Pipeline Working Group has generated synoptic maps from the Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager on the Solar Dynamics Observatory using the same algorithms as SOLIS, which supports cross-instrument continuity of long time series. NSO maintains public access to current images, archives, and technical documentation through its data portals.[14][1][6]
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