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Global Oscillations Network Group

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Global Oscillation Network Group (GONG)
GONG network sites map
Map of GONG stations
Alternative namesGlobal Oscillation Network Group Edit this at Wikidata
Location(s)Spain, Australia, United States of America, India, Chile Edit this at Wikidata
Coordinatessee § Sites
OrganizationNational Solar Observatory Integrated Synoptic Program (NISP)
Built1995
Telescope stylesolar observatory Edit this on Wikidata
Websitegong.nso.edu
  Related media on Commons
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The Global Oscillation Network Group (GONG) is a worldwide network of six identical telescopes, designed to have 24/7 observations of the Sun.[1] The network serves multiple purposes, including the provision of operation data for use in space weather prediction,[2] and the study of solar internal structure and dynamics using helioseismology.

Deployed in 1995, GONG is a set of six observing systems geographically distributed around the Earth so that the Sun can be observed as continuously as possible. The six observatories are the Teide Observatory (Canary Islands), the Learmonth Solar Observatory (Western Australia), the Big Bear Solar Observatory (California), the Mauna Loa Observatory (Hawaii), the Udaipur Solar Observatory (India) and the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory (Chile). With these sites, GONG typically can observe the Sun 91% of the time, 24/7.[3] GONG was constructed to provide observations for helioseismology, which aims to understand the solar interior by analyzing the sound waves that are trapped in it. In 2001, the original GONG detectors were upgraded to 1000 x 1000 pixels and continuous magnetograms were implemented, and the new system is known as GONG++. While GONG still provides helioseismology data, it now also provides full-disk solar magnetic field maps (magnetograms) every minute and full-disk images of the Sun in the wavelength of the Hydrogen–α (Hα) spectral line every 20 seconds. These data products are used for research into the solar magnetic field and chromosphere but are also essential inputs into forecasts of space weather. The NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC), the US Airforce 557th Weather Wing, and the NASA Community Coordinated Modeling Center (CCMC) all use GONG data to predict space weather conditions. GONG magnetograms are used in modeling of magnetic connectivity between the photosphere and the solar wind in support of NASA's Parker Solar Probe mission.

The GONG Project is managed by the National Solar Observatory (NSO) Integrated Synoptic Program (NISP), which is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy under a cooperative agreement with the National Science Foundation (NSF). GONG has been in operation since 1995 and is aging rapidly. To replace it, NSO is proposing to design and build a next-generation Ground-based solar Observing Network, provisionally named ngGONG.[4] In April 2023, NOAA Science Advisory Board reported on the importance of GONG and its successor data source for space weather operations.[5] It concluded that "GONG provides a vital data source for space weather operations, and it is nearing end of life. The ngGONG project is the most straightforward replacement. It will maintain present operational capabilities, and provide observations for future requirements. The time window to complete ngGONG prior to the demise of GONG is closing." The Board recommended that "NOAA/NWS financially support the design phase for ngGONG, to ensure the initiation of the project."

The Decadal Survey for Solar and Space Physics (Heliophysics) 2024–2033 by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine[6] recommends ngGONG as NSF's top priority for its Major Research Equipment and Facilities Construction (MREFC) Program.

Sites

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The six GONG stations are located at the geographic coordinates and elevations given in the following table.[7]

Geographical coordinates and elevations of the GONG stations
Observatory Latitude Longitude Elevation
Mauna Loa Observatory 19° 32′ 10.1″ N 155° 34′ 33.3″ W 3471.3 m
Big Bear Solar Observatory 34° 15′ 37.2″ N 116° 55′ 17.1″ W 2063.1 m
Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory 30° 10′ 4.2″ S 70° 48′ 19.7″ W 2190.0 m
Teide Observatory 28° 18′ 3.0″ N 16° 30′ 43.0″ W 2425.0 m
Udaipur Solar Observatory 24° 36′ 53.8″ N 73° 40′ 10.9″ E 676.9 m
Learmonth Solar Observatory 22° 13′ 6.6″ S 114° 6′ 9.8″ E 14.7 m
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  • GONG shelter in Learmonth, Australia
    GONG shelter in Learmonth, Australia
  • GONG shelter at Mauna Loa, Hawai'i
    GONG shelter at Mauna Loa, Hawai'i
  • GONG at Big Bear Solar Observatory, California
    GONG at Big Bear Solar Observatory, California
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References

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  1. ^ Harvey, J. W.; Hill, F.; Hubbard, R. P.; Kennedy, J. R.; Leibacher, J. W.; Pintar, J. A.; Gilman, P. A.; Noyes, R. W.; Title, A. M.; Toomre, J.; Ulrich, R. K.; Bhatnagar, A.; Kennewell, J. A.; Marquette, W.; Patrón, J.; Saá, O.; Yasukawa, E. (31 May 1996). "The Global Oscillation Network Group (GONG) Project". Science. 272 (5266): 1284–1286. doi:10.1126/science.272.5266.1284. PMID 8662455.
  2. ^ Hill, Frank (October 2018). "The Global Oscillation Network Group Facility—An Example of Research to Operations in Space Weather". Space Weather. 16 (10): 1488–1497. doi:10.1029/2018SW002001.
  3. ^ Jain, Kiran; Tripathy, Sushanta C.; Hill, Frank; Pevtsov, Alexei A. (2021-10-01). "Continuous Solar Observations from the Ground—Assessing Duty Cycle from GONG Observations". Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific. 133 (1028): 105001. arXiv:2110.06319. Bibcode:2021PASP..133j5001J. doi:10.1088/1538-3873/ac24d5. ISSN 0004-6280. S2CID 238362018.
  4. ^ Pevtsov, Alexei A.; Martinez-Pillet, V.; Gilbert, H.; de Wijn, A. G.; Roth, M.; Gosain, S.; Upton, L. A.; Katsukawa, Y.; Burkepile, J.; Zhang, Jie; Reardon, K. P.; Bertello, L.; Jain, K.; Tripathy, S. C.; Leka, K. D. (2022-11-12). "Helio2024 Science White Paper: ngGONG -- Future Ground-based Facilities for Research in Heliophysics and Space Weather Operational Forecast". arXiv:2211.06712 [astro-ph.IM].
  5. ^ "Statement on Global Oscillation Network Group (GONG) and its Successor Data Source for Space Weather Operations" (PDF). NOAA Science Advisory Board Reports, Report Library. 27 April 2023. Retrieved 12 May 2024.
  6. ^ Committee on a Decadal Survey for Solar and Space Physics (Heliophysics) 2024–2033; Space Studies Board; Division on Engineering and Physical Sciences; National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (2024). The Next Decade of Discovery in Solar and Space Physics: Exploring and Safeguarding Humanity's Home in Space. Washington, D.C.: National Academies Press. doi:10.17226/27938. ISBN 978-0-309-72555-2.
  7. ^ "The Latitude, Longitude and Elevation of the GONG Network of Sites". NSO/GONG. Retrieved 28 December 2024.
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