Connecting coronal structure to photospheric origins

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Connecting coronal structure to photospheric
origins
Active region (sunspot) evolution and solar
rotation well define long term, persistent,
coronal streamers
This movie shows an idealized rotating coronal
streamer.
Looking above the limb persistent,
stable structure should look like this in
coronal observations
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Coronal streamers are predictable
In coronal xray or EUV observations the dominant
structure is predictable with characteristics
defined by photospheric rotation and the
underlying solar active regions
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Magnetic field inputs to space weather activity
The Haleakala observatory is the worlds highest
elevation solar observatory. It sits above 20 of
the atmosphere and provides unrivaled infrared
observing conditions.
On a daily basis the high altitude Mees
observatory on Haleakala provides the solar
vector magnetic field measurements required to
model and predict the evolving interplanetary
field configuration. This image shows the vector
field from a bipolar Active region (number 1731)
on February 21, 2002
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Coronal magnetic fields
The future for space weather prediction depends
on direct measurements of coronal magnetic
fields. The infrared FeXIII line will allow this.
Experimental determination of coronal field
strength from Zeeman splitting has been obtained.
Shortly the Haleakala observatory will
provide these measurements for routine diagnostic
use.
This EUV image shows contours of coronal
Green-line emission measured from the ground. The
small box labeled A is a region where infrared
Zeeman field observations were obtained (below)
The infrared spectrum near 1000nm directly
reveals the coronal magnetic field
This line profile is one of the first
measurements of a 30G coronal magnetic field