Overview

The Solar Science Observatory at the Mitaka campus of NAOJ has been conducting researches on the atmosphere and magnetic activity of the Sun using the Solar Flare Telescope and other ground-based instruments, in cooperation with the Hinode satellite and the Nobeyama Radioheliograph.

Although life on Earth owes its existence to solar radiation, the Sun does not always shine constantly. Explosive changes like solar flares and prominence eruptions take place from time to time and disturb the magnetosphere of the Earth. Long-term variations like the eleven-year activity cycle are also believed to have some influence on the Earth environment. As the solar activity is driven by the Sun's magnetic field, it is important to investigate basic physical processes taking place in the magnetic field and the plasma of the Sun. For this purpose we are operating new instruments such as the Infrared Spectro-polarimeter. In parallel, we have been continuing classical, synoptic observations such as sunspot observations and Hα flare-patrol observations. As the next step, we are proposing to construct a new telescope for long-term and higher accuracy observation of solar magnetic fields, which will be one of the key elements of the Inter-University Observation Network of Heliospheric Environmental Variations.

Various data of the Sun obtained with our instruments, systematically accumulated more than one hundred years since 1910s, are open to the public as online database.