Synoptic Hα full-disk observations of the sun from big bear solar observatory: I. Instrumentation, Image Processing, Data Products, and First Results

C. Denker, A. Johannesson, W. Marquette, P. R. Goode, Haimin Wang, H. Zirin

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

107 Scopus citations

Abstract

The Big Bear Solar Observatory (BBSO) has a long tradition of synoptic full-disk observations. Synoptic observations of contrast enhanced full-disk images in the Ca II K-line have been used with great success to reproduce the H I Lα irradiance variability observed with the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS). Recent improvements in data calibration procedures and image-processing techniques enable us now to provide contrast enhanced Hα full-disk images with a spatial resolution of approximately 2″ and a temporal resolution of up to 3 frames min-1. In this first paper in a series, we describe the instruments, the data calibration procedures, and the image-processing techniques used to obtain our daily Hα full-disk observations. We also present the final data products such as low- and high-contrast images, and Carrington rotation charts. A time series of an erupting mini-filament further illustrates the quality of our Hα full-disk observations and motivate one of the future research projects. This lays a solid foundation for our subsequent studies of solar activity and chromospheric fine structures. The high quality and the sunrise-to-sunset operation of the Hα full-disk observations presented in this paper make them an ideal choice to study statistical properties of mini-filament eruptions, chromospheric differential rotation, and meridional flows within the chromosphere, as well as the evolution of active regions, filaments, flares, and prominences.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)87-102
Number of pages16
JournalSolar Physics
Volume184
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - 1999

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Astronomy and Astrophysics
  • Space and Planetary Science

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