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![BSD teaser imager](/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/2024-06/BSDTeaserImage_4.png?itok=XQs58uEn)
Announcing 2024 Boulder Solar Day
Boulder Solar Day is an informal 1-day meeting that brings together researchers from CU, HAO, LASP, NOAA, NSO, NWRA, and SwRI as well as out-of-town visitors to give an overview of solar research being accomplished at local institutes and to discuss current progress on solar instrumentation, observations, and models. Registration, agenda, and abstracts are not yet available.
![UCoMP image from April 9th, 2024.](/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/2024-05/20240409.ucomp_.1074.l2.waves_.median.enhanced_intensity.png?itok=PSjDXlme)
HAO flew observers to MLSO to observe the Sun during the solar eclipse
On April 8, 2024, the day of the total solar eclipse, HAO observers Ben Berkey (site manager) and Lisa Perez-Gonzalez flew by helicopter to the Mauna Loa Solar Observatory (MLSO) located at 11,200 feet on the north face of Mauna Loa to observe the Sun’s corona using the MLSO coronagraphs. They had to fly to the site since the road and power lines to Mauna Loa were destroyed by a volcanic eruption on Nov 27, 2022. A generator and battery packs supplied the observatory with the necessary power. Unfortunately, clouds prevented observations on April 8, but Ben and Lisa were able to return on April 9 to capture beautiful observations of the corona with both coronagraphs (see images in story).
![2024 Total Solar Eclipse Composite](/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/2024-04/Teaser2_composite_halpha-wl_fesun_team_low3.png?itok=9MvkQ_Vr)
Chasing the IR Corona through Solar Eclipse Experiments
The total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024, was a great opportunity for the team of HAO, NSO, and NOAA scientists and collaborators to travel to a location on the totality path with the goal of running unique science experiments. Using additional telescopes, binoculars, and outreach materials, we were able to capture the eclipse throughout its phases and share our passion with a very excited local crowd.
Latest Research Highlights
![Hanle diagrams](/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/2024-07/Casini_HanleDiagrams.png?itok=DRE3TNW1)
A unifying polarization formalism for electric- and magnetic-multipole interactions
R. Casini, R. Manso Sainz, A. Lopez Ariste, and N. Kaikati extend the spherical tensorial formalism for polarization to the treatment of eletric- and magnetic-multipole transitions of any order, to model the radiation anisotropy affecting the scattering of radiation in an electric-quadrupole transition, and the associated Hanle effect in the presence of a magnetic field.
![Longitude-latitude distribution map](/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/2024-04/Hsu_long-latDistribution_map_tn.jpeg?itok=IFRAG1LD)
A Community Ionosphere-Thermosphere Observing System Simulation Experiment (OSSE) Tool
Chih-Ting Hsu, et al. in this study demonstrate the utility of DART/TIEGCM as an IT OSSE tool, using synthetic observations simulated using a currently planned NASA Geospace Dynamics Constellation (GDC) observing system design. Five sets of OSSEs are carried out to compare the effects of assimilating various combinations of prospective GDC observations (e.g., neutral temperature, neutral wind, neutral composition, atomic oxygen ion density, and ion and electron temperature) during a major geomagnetic storm period of the St Patrick's Day Storm on March 17, 2013.
![pre-reversal enhancement during geomagnetic quiet time period](/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/2024-06/QianWu_model%20MAGE.jpeg?itok=7nB6FllK)
MAGE Model Simulation of the Pre-reversal Enhancement and Comparison with ICON and Jicamarca ISR Observations
Qian Wu, Wenbin Wang, Dong Lin, Liying Qian, Chaosong Huang, and Yongliang Zhang use the latest coupled geospace model MAGE (Multiscale Atmosphere-Geospace Environment) and observations from Jicamarca ISR and ICON IVM instrument, we examine the pre-reversal enhancement during geomagnetic quiet time period.