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.