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To better understand the Sun and
its influence on our planet, NCAR's High
Altitude Observatory operates the Mauna
Loa Solar Observatory, perched 11,300 feet (3,440 meters) above sea
level on the island of Hawaii.
Specialized telescopes at MLSO filter and analyze solar energy emissions
at several different wavelengths, probing the secrets
of the Sun every day, weather conditions permitting. Data from each MLSO
instrument is processed and analyzed by NCAR scientists in Boulder and
made available to other solar researchers. Many of the clues to solar
storms and other phenomena are emerging from solar imagery.
The Sun emits photons, or particles of light, in a
broad spectrum from
very long wavelengths, such as radio waves, to the medium wavelengths
of visible light, to very short wavelengths, such as x-rays. Different
elements present as gases on the Sun, such as helium
and hydrogen, have different wavelength signatures. |
