Poster presentations by NISP personnel at the 2026 Space Weather meeting in Boulder, CO.

The 2026 Space Weather meeting took place in Boulder, Colorado on 28 April- 1 May, 2026. NISP personnel presented several posters during this meeting relevant to Space Weather research and operational forecast. The presentations included "VSO 2.0 and Space Weather" by N. Oien et al, "Full-disk Hα Spectroheliograph development for GONG: Preliminary results" by S. Gosain et al.

More poster references will be added later. 

Solar Activity Report: April 20 -26, 2026

Solar activity ranged from very low to high levels during the reporting period. Activity was very low at the start of the week, with X‑ray flux in the mid‑B-class range, before increasing to the upper B‑class level accompanied by frequent low‑ to mid‑C‑class flares. By early April 23, activity rose sharply, producing four M‑class flares that day. Activity intensified further on April 24 with two X‑class flares (X2.5 and X2.4) and two additional M‑class flares. Finally, the solar activity subsided on April 25 and continued with the similar conditions on April 26, although the X‑ray flux remained in the C‑class range with a few M‑class events. These flares were associated with CMEs, however, none of which had Earth‑directed components.

GONG UD is back on-line

 GONG station in Udaipur, India is back to operations.  NISP team worked with the site support group in India to run series of tests, which identified a failed electronic board. The board was replaced by a spare, and the system's operability was restored. The images error was cleared, and the PM (preventive maintenance) flag is turned off.  H-alpha image of the Sun taken after the repairs is shown below.

 

Solar Activity Report: April 13 - 19, 2026

Solar activity remained at low levels during the reporting period. X‑ray flux was predominantly within the B‑class range, with only occasional short‑lived increases into the C‑class. Active region 14419 was the dominant contributor, responsible for five of the seven C‑class flares recorded, including the strongest event of the week, a C4.1 flare on April 17. Additional low‑level C‑class flares were observed on April 13, 16, 17, and 18, while the remainder of the week stayed within the B‑class range. A few CMEs were detected, none with Earth‑directed components.

GONG network status

As of 18 April: 

• The Learmonth instrument is operational, and the sky is clear. 
• The Udaipur instrument is operational, and the sky is clear. On April 19, the Camera Rotator stopped rotating. Local support team was requested to check if the Camera Rotator amplifier may have a blown fuse. The observations are taken, but the image orientation is not correct (see images below taken on 18 and 19 April). UPDATE: on 20 April, GONG/UD was put into PM mode (no observations are taken) while the team is resolving the issues with oscillations in the camera rotator and the turret. 
• In early April, the internet connectivity at Udaipur experienced some instability. This was traced to a piece of cable chewed by the panther. This piece of cable was now replaced.
• The El Teide instrument is operational, and the sky is mostly cloudy.
• The Cerro Tololo instrument is operational, and the sky is clear.
• The Big Bear instrument is operational, and the sky is partly cloudy.
• The Mauna Loa instrument is down.
• Two engineering sites in Boulder, Colorado (TC and TE) are down for testing.
  
  
   

Solar Activity Report: April 6 - 12, 2026

 Solar activity fluctuated from low to moderate and back to low levels during the week. Most flares were in the C‑class X‑ray range. The week began with only low‑level C‑class activity, followed by an increase to a C5.7 flare on April 7, a C8.9 flare on April 8, and an M1.0 flare on April 9. Activity then dropped sharply on April 10, with only B‑class X‑ray levels observed, and a single C1.9 flare on April 11. Conditions rose slightly on the final day of the week, producing several low C‑class flares, the strongest of which was C2.4. Overall, active region 14409 was the most productive region, generating 11 C‑class flares and one impulsive M‑class flare. No earth-directed CMEs were detected during this period.

Yuri's Night and the International Day of Human Space Flight

Today is the 65th anniversary of first human space flight. On April 12, 1961, Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin orbited the Earth in the Vostok-1 spacecraft. Coincidentally, the first Space Shuttle mission was also launched on April 12, but in 1981, 20 years after the Gagarin's flight.

Space weather posed issues from the beginning of human space exploration resulting in failure of communication satellites due to radiation damage and electric discharges and loss of satellites due to enhanced atmospheric drag  (DOI: 10.1080/29979676.2024.2391688). GONG network provides critical observations for the operational space weather forecast issued by the NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) and the prediction centers in other countries. 

Image shows a series of postage stamps issued in 2011 by the United Nations to commemorate 50 years of manned spaceflight. From left to right are the stamp depicting Yuri Gagarin's launch, an American astronaut on a ladder descending to the Moon's surface, the International Space Station, the Space Shuttle, and Soviet Soyuz spacecraft on its way to docking in orbit with the American Apollo spacecraft.

In 2011, the United Nations General Assembly designated April 12 as the International Day of Human flight. Yuri's Night is celebrated internationally since 2001.

GONG/LE is back on-line

Internet connection to GONG station at Learmonth, Australia was restored, and the observations taken on previous days are now flowing to NISP data center. Attached images show example of magnetograms taken on 7-10 April 2026. Status of GONG network can be checked at the Network Monitor site and the data could be accessed via the main NISP data website.

 

Three Decades of Global Oscillation Network Group (GONG): From Helioseismology to Magnetic Field and Space Weather (Invited Review)

A review article on GONG has been published in Solar Physics. It offers a rich historical perspective on the network’s three‑decade evolution, tracing its origins as a three‑year program focused on full‑disk helioseismic Doppler measurements to its current role as a major data source for space‑weather prediction. The article also outlines a forward‑looking discussion on the next major chapter: highlighting plans for the next‑generation network, ngGONG.  

This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License, which permits free access while restricting commercial use and modifications.

DOI: 10.1007/s11207-026-02639-9

GONG/ML Status

The temporary Mauna Loa Access Road was officially completed on March 26th. 

While the road is officially open, the official status of the Mauna Loa Observatory remains closed to the general public. Since the site will be an active construction zone for the next two years, NOAA staff will tightly schedule site access for mission-critical activities only to ensure personnel safety. All visitors require explicit authorization to access the site.

Regarding utilities, NOAA does not have a date for commercial power restoration, but is actively engaging with the local utility provider.

Contractors are now on site at MLO installing off-grid solar electric systems for NOAA and MLSO.

Photo: Ben Berkey, HAO/MLSO

 

GONG/LE Status

 Power has been restored to the GONG shelter, and observations are being taken. The GONG engineering & operations staff have been in contact with LSO staff, and are getting regular updates.

GONG Tool screenshot via WhatsApp (Detrick Branston & Brian Newcomb, 4/8/26).

 

 One of the two air conditioning units was damaged beyond repair. All of the control electronics soaked in water, fan cover and fan blades missing. A quote has been received for that work, and the replacement unit has been ordered.

A quote for the replacement of the shelter power disconnect enclosure and surge arrestor is pending. 

Email update 4/9/26: "Electricians have been at the observatory all this afternoon and most days this week testing and replacing water-affected electrical infrastructure in the RSTN (radio telescope) building through which all our comms passes. Once they clear that building for electrical power restoration, we can then turn our attention to the comms side. In addition to this issue (water through the RSTN building), we still have no fibre connection to the outside world. We are working with the BOM IT Support and the internet provider to try to diagnose and resolve this. It is possible that the fibre was damaged at the main road end, as a deep ditch was scoured out by the sea water and rain inundation (we couldn't even drive into the site). "

GONG data are stored on site. The workstation can retain up to 61 days of data. 

Solar Activity Report: March 30 - April 5, 2026

 Solar activity fluctuated sharply over the past week. The period opened at high levels on March 30 with a long‑duration X1.4 flare from active region 14405, located in the southeastern quadrant of the visible disk. Activity then dropped markedly on March 31, with the strongest event reaching only C1.5 before declining into the B‑class range. Conditions rose again on April 1 as multiple high‑intensity C‑class flares were recorded, the largest being a C8.1 event. From April 2 through April 4, activity remained at moderate to high levels, driven by several M‑class and numerous strong C‑class flares. The largest daily events were M3.5, M1.3, and M7.5 on April 2, 3, and 4, respectively. Activity decreased once more on April 5, with a C3.8 flare as the day’s peak.

In summary, April 4 stood out as the most active day of the week. Active region 14409 dominated the activity, producing six M‑class flares and roughly 50 C‑class flares. Several CMEs were detected by coronagraphs throughout the week, but none were assessed to have significant Earth‑directed impacts.

Helioseismic maps of the far side show several active regions currently present. One of them—an active region from the previous rotation—appears to have a high likelihood of returning to the visible hemisphere around April 11.

Major M1.0 X-class flare on April 4, 2026

 On April 4, 2026, a major X-class solar flare of M1.0 magnitude was observed at about 22:54 UT in active region NOAA 14409. The flare was recorded by GONG/Big Bear station using its Hydrogen H-alpha instrument. GONG/BB restarted its observations on the day of flare after been down for a preventive maintenance. Image shows the location of flaring region before (22:39 UT) and during the flare (23:02 UT, marked by thick black arrow). The active region continues exhibiting a complex magnetic configuration and new flux emergence, and thus, may produce additional flares. The observations can be access via GONG website.

 

GONG low duty cycle (updated on 4/4/2026)

GONG network is operating at a very low duty cycle (see plot attached) due to three adjacent stations  down: GONG/Mauna Loa - in aftermath of volcanic eruption, GONG/Big Bear - preventive maintenance trip, and GONG/Learmonth - damages in aftermath of the tropical cyclone (TC) Narelle.

The LE GONG station was shut down on March 25th in anticipation of the arrival of Tropical Cyclone Narelle. TC Narelle caused significant damage to Exmouth and Learmonth, but there is no damage to GONG/Learmonth station itself, except for one air-conditioning units, and some external access power panels. After the electrician inspection, the power to GONG was restored, and the instrument may have resumed observations. However, there is no internet access and thus, data are stored on the site. 

NISP engineering team are performing preventive maintenance work at GONG/Big Bear. It is expected that GONG/BB will be back to operations on 4/4/2026. UPDATED on 4/4/2026: The preventive maintenance was completed. GONG/Big Bear is back to full operations.

Primitive access road to Mauna Loa is completed, but access is still limited. NISP team plans visiting the site for the evaluation of restart activities after the commercial power to the site is restored.

GONG/LE Status

 The LE GONG station was shut down on March 25th in anticipation of the arrival of Tropical Cyclone Narelle. TC Narelle made landfall near Exmouth at approximately 8am on March 27th at a Category 4 level with wind speeds between 160–199 km/h. An electrician was able to visit the site, and power was restored to the shelter on April 2nd. We are awaiting word as to when the internet connection to the LSO will be restored.

 One of the first reports from the LSO staff reads:

"Unfortunately, the damage to Exmouth and Learmonth is significant. The road was closed for days due to flooding and the airport across the road is closed for the foreseeable future due to extensive damage to the terminal.

We were able to access the site for the first time yesterday (March 31st) and inspected the GONG shelter. The shelter and turret appear to be unscathed (no obvious wind damage or impacts) but one of the air-conditioner compressor units has been damaged.

The inside of the shelter was dry (hooray) so we attempted to repower, however the main circuit breaker tripped on both attempts. The metal box surrounding the main circuit board outside was blown open and bent at the hinge, and we suspect water may have gotten in behind it. It's also possible there is water in the light fixtures that may be tripping the circuit breakers.

We are also experiencing a site-wide internet outage, so no data flow is possible currently anyway. We are investigating with the network provider to find out what kind of infrastructure damage has occurred and ETA for return to service. We will keep you posted on this front too."

 

Does the Solar Tachocline Change with Solar Cycle

 A thin transition layer where the Sun’s rotation changes abruptly — the outer convection zone rotates differentially, while the inner radiative zone rotates almost like a solid body- is termed as the tachocline similar to the thermocline in oceanic dynamics.  This sharp shear is believed to generate the Sun’s strongest toroidal magnetic fields, which later rise to the surface as sunspots. The tachocline’s  sub-adiabatic stratification allows strong magnetic fields to be stored without immediately rising due to buoyancy. If the solar dynamo exists in the tachocline and generates the magnetic field of the Sun, one would expect solar-cycle related changes in the properties of the tachocline. 

A recent study using three decades of GONG observations reports a secular shift in the tachocline’s position at low latitudes. The analysis also indicates that the tachocline  has been gradually moving closer to the base of the convection zone, indicating that it may be related to the complexity of the solar magnetic field.  

This work is published in Astrophysical journal, 1000, 272 (1000) 2026 April 1. 

Latitude-dependent Time Variations of the Solar Tachocline - IOPscience

Artemis 2 launch and space weather

Artemis II is scheduled to launch tomorrow (April 1, 2026) on a 10-day mission around the Moon. Traveling outside the Earth magnetosphere may pose additional risks from the space weather events (for review of early studies see Chen et al 2024). NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center will provide forecast of space weather conditions for the duration of mission (see article in Space.com), and the NSF's GONG observations will contribute to the modeling. In addition, recent GONG farside images suggest a relatively low level of sunspot activity on a farside of the Sun for the incoming two weeks. 

Solar Activity Report: March 23 -29, 2026

Solar activity during the reporting period ranged from low to moderate levels. The week began with low solar activity and a C3.2 flare was the largest event on March 23 that originated from active region 14392 near the southeast limb. The X‑ray flux generally remained at B‑level until a C7.3 flare was produced on March 24 by an active region rotating onto the Earth‑facing side from behind the northeast limb. This region was later designated NOAA 14403. Following this event, the X‑ray flux stayed within the C‑level range, with several C‑class flares and two M‑class flares. The largest event on March 25 was a C3.7 flare. Activity increased to moderate levels on March 26 with an M3.9 flare from active region 14403 and multiple additional C‑class flares.

On March 27, activity declined again to low levels, with only C‑class flares observed; the largest was a C5.4 event. Activity increased once more on March 28 with a long‑duration M1.3 flare from active region 14405. The week concluded with low activity on March 29, when the largest event was a C2.1 flare. Overall, active region 14405 was the most productive during this period, generating nine C‑class flares and one M‑class flare. Several CMEs were associated with these events, but none had Earth‑directed components.

Status of GONG network: March 27, 2026

 Status of GONG network as of Friday, March 27:

• The Learmonth instrument is down due to passage of a tropical cyclone (see map below showing path of tropical cyclone Narelle 34U, © Bureau of Meteorology) 
• The Udaipur instrument is unreachable (local team was requested to investigate).
• The El Teide instrument is operational, and the sky is clear.
• The Cerro Tololo instrument is operational, and the sky is clear.
• The Big Bear instrument is down for scheduled maintenance. NISP engineering team is on site performing preventive maintenance.
• Road to Mauna Loa Observatory is officially completed. However, it remains closed for general public and non-emergency observatory access.

Solar Activity Report: March 16 - 22, 2026

The week began with moderate solar activity, which declined to low levels by mid‑week and remained low for the rest of the period, with only a slight gradual increase in X‑ray flux intensity that stayed within the B‑class range. Three low‑intensity M‑class flares occurred at the start of the week, one on each of the first three days. The most active day was March 18, when an M2.7 flare was produced, along with C2.7, C2.8, C2.9, and C3.6 flares. Other notable flares include an M2.8 and C5.9 on March 16, an M1.3 on March 17, and a C2.3 on March 19. All of these flares originated in the southern hemisphere, primarily from active region 14392. Two associated CMEs from the March 16 and March 18 M‑class flares arrived simultaneously on March 20.

Helioseismic mapping of the invisible hemisphere indicates that several active regions may rotate onto the Earth‑facing side within the next seven days. One of them is active region 14378, which crossed the west limb and moved to the far side about two weeks ago, has persisted and is expected to reappear at the east limb around March 24. 

GONG data processing update

Processing of the network-merged daily velocity and magnetogram images,  p-mode-coefficient time series, and ring-diagram analysis products for GONG month 311,  and  the  p-mode frequency data products for central GONG month 310 is completed and the data products are now available.

GONG refurbishment project update

NISP Data Center, scientists, and engineers have successfully completed vetting the last twelfth GONG EVT camera.

Solar Activity Report - March 9 - 15, 2026

Solar activity during the past week ranged from low to moderate. March 11 marked the quietest day, with the X‑ray flux remaining in the B‑class range and only minor C‑class flaring. Activity increased significantly by March 13, the most active day, producing an M1.2 flare - the strongest of the week - along with C8.9 and long‑duration C8.0 flares and several additional C-class events. A second M‑class flare, an M1.0, was produced on March 15 by active region 14392 located in the southeast quadrant of the solar disk. In total, 37 C‑class and 2 M‑class flares were produced. No Earth‑directed CMEs were detected. 

Helioseismic maps of the far hemisphere reveal multiple active regions that rotated onto the far side after crossing the west limb.  These regions exhibited low to moderate activity while on the Earth‑facing side of the solar disk.  If they do not decay while on the far side, one of them is expected to rotate back into view on March 21.

At the time of preparing this report, an M2.7 flare was detected on March 16 from active region 14394, which also launched a CME directed toward Earth. The CME is forecast to arrive on March 19 and has the potential to generate auroral activity.

The Sun’s Far Side as Seen via Martian Observations and GONG Helioseismic Mapping

Solar activity is now in the declining phase of Solar Cycle 25, leading to a marked reduction in both the number of active regions and the frequency of high‑energy events. Front‑side active regions continue to be monitored routinely from ground‑ and space‑based observatories, but the far side lacks continuous direct coverage. NASA’s STEREO spacecraft and ESA’s Solar Orbiter provide intermittent far‑side observations that have been essential for validating helioseismic techniques used to infer active regions on the hidden hemisphere. However, because the visibility of the far side depends on each spacecraft’s orbital position, none of these assets provide full‑hemisphere far‑side coverage at all times. For more information, please see an earlier post,

https://gongnisp.blogspot.com/2025/12/why-active-regions-appeared-displaced.html

Recent observations from NASA's Perseverance rover on Mars — currently positioned on the far side of the Sun relative to Earth —provide a valuable additional vantage point for viewing the Sun’s hidden hemisphere. In the image shown here, we compare the far‑side active regions inferred from GONG helioseismic mapping with those detected in the recently published Mars‑based observations reported by Spaceweather.com.

Martian observation (right bottom panel of the accompanied image) indicates that four active regions seen on March 6 in the northern hemisphere (left panel) remain on the solar disk, and these same regions are also captured in the GONG helioseismic maps (right top panel). One region highlighted in the GONG maps (marked with a red circle) does not appear in the Martian observations because of its position relative to Mars’s viewing geometry. The line marking this location shows clearly that the region lies outside Mars’s field of view. These differences arise primarily from the distinct image geometries and viewing angles of the two observing platforms.

M-class flare and prominence activity

A major M2.8 X-class flare occurred today (16 March 2026) in active region 14392. The flare started at about 12:00 UT and peaked at 12:15 UT. Flare and an activation and eruption of small filament from nearby active region was observed by several GONG stations. See video of event as observed in the hydrogen H-alpha spectral line by GONG/Cerro Tololo, Chile. Unrelated to this event, a large solar prominence in East-South limb showed some interesting flows. Flaring region is shown at 2 minute cadence time lapse, and the prominence is at 3 minute cadence. Videos cover about 5 hours for flare (11:34 UT- 16:36 UT) and 6 hours for prominence (11:34 UT- 17:35 UT). Full disk images for these events can be accessed via GONG web site at  https://gong.nso.edu/.

 

GONG status for week of March 8-14 2026

 Here is a brief status of GING operations for week of March 8-14, 2026:

Most Instruments Operational: Instruments at Learmonth, Udaipur, El Teide, Cerro Tololo, and Big Bear were generally operational, though with varying sky conditions.

Instrument Down Time: GONG TC and TE instruments were down for testing. Access road to Mauna Loa Observatory is  now scheduled to be completed on March 25, 2026. 

Maintenance: A maintenance report for the El Teide site on March 11 noted that the anemometer was connected, but the emergency light inside the shelter had a bad battery.

Scheduled Scans: DRIFT Scans were performed at the Big Bear site on March 8 and March 14.

Community support: GONG observations were used to support the NASA's Parker Solar Probe’s 27th encounter, with perihelion that occurred on March 11 at 18:17 UT. Maps of predicted magnetic connectivity  based on GONG observations can be found at https://whpi.hao.ucar.edu/whpi_campaign-psp27p.php 

GONG/TD status

GONG/Teide (Canary Islands) has been down for several days (2-4 March 2026). They had very bad weather with temperatures bellow 0º and very high humidity. Probably ice at formed on the turret. Local support team investigates.

A day without sunspots

Observations from GONG taken on 22 February 2026 show no sunspot (see upper-left image showing the Sun in a broadband wavelength range). Areas of brighter plages indicate the presence of magnetic field on the Sun, but the field is not strong enough to form sunspots or even pores. Image on upper-right is a map of magnetic fields (magnetogram) corresponding to the same time as the "white light" image. There dark/white colors correspond to magnetic field of negative/positive polarity.  The magnetic fields are organized in patterns of positive-negative polarity typical for decaying active regions. The conditions with no sunspots are usually observed during the minimum of 11-year solar cycle, although currently, the sun is in the middle of a declining phase of solar cycle 25 (see last plot taken from https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/products/solar-cycle-progression). 

 

One day of a large solar prominence

 On 21 February 2026, a large solar prominence was observed on East-South limb. This video shows the change in filament appearance over 24 hour period. Video stars from GONG/Learmonth (Australia) at 00:00:42 UT. Then it switches to GONG/Cerro Tololo (Chile), and at the end, it goes
back to GONG/Learmonth. The video ends on 22 February 2026 at 1:48:42 UT.

Wildlife near GONG station in Udaipur

Apparently, GONG is recognized as an important asset not only by solar scientists. Image on the left shows a curious puma poking out her head above bushes outside GONG fenced area. On the right, puma walks toward GONG area crossing observatory road.

 

GONG refurbishment project update

 

Last twelfth EVT camera, installed at one of the GONG engineering sites in Boulder, is currently being tested by the NISP group. 

50th Anniversary of Udaipur Solar Observatory

This week (10-13 February 2026), an international conference dedicated to the 50th anniversary of the Udaipur Solar Observatory (USO) was held in Udaipur, India. NISP scientists delivered several presentations about the far side imaging (photo 1), magnetograph instruments for solar synoptic observations from ground and space (photo 2), and future ngGONG project. The conference participants were given a tour of GONG facilities (photo 3). USO personnel also identified possible sites for future ngGONG station. One of this sites is located on the island observatory part of USO. Photo 4 shows the island observatory illuminated at night as part of Golden jubilee of USO celebration.

 

  

GONG/ML - MLO Access Road Update

 The "pioneering" phase of the project has been completed by the construction contractor, and all of the permits for construction have been obtained. Road construction in earnest will start on February 10th! A final schedule is still pending.

 Pioneering phase photos from a helicopter overflight (a little fuzzy). Photos courtesy of Darryl Kuniyuki, NOAA Mauna Loa Atmospheric Baseline Observatory Station Lead.

GONG/ML - MLO Access Road Update

 

The road construction on the Mauna Loa Access road will begin in earnest next Tuesday, February 10th.  The construction is anticipated to last through the end of February, with access for the NOAA Mauna Loa crew resuming in early March.

NOAA does not have a public opening date or a definitive date for when power will be re-established at the site.

GML staff are currently developing comprehensive plans to safely and systematically re-open the Mauna Loa facility.

GONG/LE - Weather Event

 The GONG program in Boulder has received word from the staff at the Learmonth Solar Observatory of an incoming tropical low to the region. "There is currently tropical low 21U heading southwards down the west coast of Western Australia and it is predicted to hit Learmonth late Sunday / early Monday as a category 1 cyclone. The USAF (who maintain the site infrastructure here) are not planning to shut down mains power." https://www.bom.gov.au/warning/tropical-cyclone-forecast-track-map/IDW60281

 

Dynamics of Subsurface Flows in Solar Active Regions during the 2024 Gannon Storm

 In May 2024, the Sun produced a series of intense flares and CMEs, primarily from NOAA Active Regions (ARs) 13663 and 13664, which were visible on the solar disk at that time. The image shows a full-disk magnetogram from the Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager onboard the Solar Dynamics Observatory on May 6, 2024, highlighting both regions. While surface and coronal observations reveal much about these eruptions, active regions are rooted deep within the Sun. To explore the hidden dynamics beneath them, we use a local helioseismic technique that uses sound waves traveling through the solar interior to measure horizontal flows beneath these active regions.  

It is found that the flow divergence remained mostly negative throughout the observing period for all active regions, indicating that horizontal flows converge toward areas of strong magnetic field. It is also observed that the amplitudes of vorticity and kinetic helicity tended to increase before a series of flares occurred. After these flare episodes, the amplitudes decreased, only to rise again ahead of subsequent eruptions. This behavior was consistent across different depths below the surface, with deeper layers generally showing stronger signals. The Normalized Helicity Gradient Variance (NHGV), which captures how kinetic helicity varies with time and depth showed  that NHGV typically increased at least a day before flares. Notably, about 81% of the observed flares occurred either on the day NHGV reached a local  maximum or on the following day. Together, these results highlight the importance of subsurface dynamics in shaping the evolution and eruptive potential of solar active regions. 

This study was published in The Astrophysical Journal (Authors: B. Lekshmi, Sushanta Tripathy, Kiran Jain, and Alexei Pevtsov)  

https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/1538-4357/ade2e3 

X-ray flare in a growing active region

Active region 14366 crossed East solar limb at about 18:00 UT on 29 January, 2026. The region was growing rapidly, and it was a location of several moderate and strong flares. The strongest X1.0 class flare was observed early today at about 12:25-12:37 UT (peak at 12:33 UT). Attached video shows this flare as observed by H-alpha instrument at GONG station at El Teide, Canary Islands. The video starts at 09:07 UT, and it ends at 14:37 UT. Time cadence is 4 minutes (original GONG observations are taken at 1 minute cadence). The video demonstrates the complexity of flaring events with multiple brightenings as well as jet and filament eruptions (dark features) taking place before and after the peak of the X-ray flare.

GONG data processing update

Processing of the network-merged daily velocity and magnetogram images,  p-mode-coefficient time series, and ring-diagram analysis products for GONG month 310,  and  the  p-mode frequency data products for central GONG month 309 is completed and the data products are now available.

GONG Network Sites - Infrastructure Maintenance

 Air conditioner maintenance or replacement and shelter painting is planned for the near term for the Udaipur, CTIO, and Learmonth sites. There will be some limited site downtime associated with these activities.

 * Udaipur: The shelter painting is currently in work and is scheduled to be completed prior to February 10th.

* Udaipur: The purchase order is in place for the replacement of the two mini-split A/C units. The work will take place after the International Conference at the Udaipur Solar Observatory during February 10 to 13, 2026. This is the celebration event for the 50th anniversary of the Udaipur Solar Observatory.

* Udaipur: Quotes pending for replacement of the dehumidifier unit.

* CTIO: The CITO staff have a statement of work for the shelter painting that is out for bid.

* Learmonth: Air conditioner and  dehumidifier maintenance is scheduled for early February.

Blank magnetogram artefact

"Blank magnetogram" artifact reported in earlier post continue to be investigated. As a mitigation, for all affected GONG stations,  the workstation's Tsync board driver and the Data Acquisition System (DAS) software were updated. In addition, the team implemented a monitoring software code for early identification the problem. So far, only three stations (UD, BB and LE) that experienced the blank magnetogram artefact.

X-class flare observed by GONG/CT

Early today (18 January, 2026), GONG station at the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory, Chile captured a major solar flare with its H-alpha instrument. The X-class flare was associated with the active regions 14345 and 14341. A pattern of bright two-ribbon flare suggests the presence of a coronal mass ejection (CME) associated with this event. After the eruption, CMEs undergo significant expansion (ballooning in size), and thus, while the eruption occurred east of the solar central meridian, there is a possibility that it could impact Earth when it reaches our planet's orbit.

GONG project summary of operations, week of January 4-10, 2026

 Here is a summary of GONG status, data processing, and related research for January 4–10, 2026.

The GONG network was operating as a 5-site network as the Mauna Loa (ML) station remained down following a volcanic eruption more than three years prior. Specific noon drift statuses for the week included:

• OK Status with Good Noon Drift Age: Learmonth (le), Udaipur (ud), Teide (td), CTIO (ct), and Big Bear (bb).
• VERY LATE Status: Mauna Loa (ml) had no noon drifts found.
• Mauna Loa Observatory: the contractor has begun the initial "pioneering" or ground-breaking phase of the road restoration project. A full construction schedule is pending the issuance of a few outstanding permits.

General status issues noted in late December included:

• Optics Fogging: Data monitoring uncovered instances of turret optics fogging at GONG/Udaipur and GONG/Teide, a known issue to be addressed with future mirror heating element installation.
• Camera Resets: An increase in camera resets at GONG/Learmonth starting December 23, 2025, was under investigation.

Data Processing Updates

• New Products: GONG H-Alpha Integral Carrington synoptic maps are now being produced. https://nispdata.nso.edu/ftp/oHA/hai/
• Tool Development: The data center developed a temporary data analysis tool to assist in rapidly identifying "flat magnetograms" artifacts in the data 
• Public Outreach: The data center is creating weekly video summaries of solar activity observed by GONG, https://gong2.nso.edu/products/weeklyMovies/.

Research and Project Status (ngGONG)

• Long-Term Review: A review article covering Three Decades of GONG has been submitted for peer review to the journal Solar Physics.
• ngGONG Design Project: The Next-generation Ground-based solar Observing Network (ngGONG) design project made significant programmatic progress, including:
  • Creation of a solid first draft of the Science Requirements Document (SRD), which serves as the fundamental document for all future project requirements.
  • Establishment of a charter for the Science Working Group (SWG) and selection of a chairperson to provide community advice.
  • Continued planning for the project, with the primary focus for 2026 on advertising/hiring the full project team and establishing conceptual reference designs for all subsystems.

GONG/Udaipur magnetograms

 On Jan 9 and 11 2026, site monitoring reveled several so called "blank magnetograms" in GONG at Udaipur observations. Their appearance was traced back to some issues with the workstations' precision timing board drivers, although the exact root cause is still under investigation. The affected data were removed and the higher level data products (synoptic maps) would be reprocessed. No significant impact on ZeroPoint operations, the chirpfit or network-merged Sunfit was detected.

UPDATE: Mauna Loa Access Road

The contractor has started the project! The initial "pioneering" or ground breaking phase has started. There are a few outstanding permits that need to be issued. A construction schedule will be released after all of the permits are in place.