SH43B-2460
The Coronal Solar Magnetism Observatory

Thursday, 17 December 2015
Poster Hall (Moscone South)
Steven Tomczyk, National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, CO, United States, Enrico Landi, University of Michigan Ann Arbor, Departament of Climate and Space Sciences and Engineering, Ann Arbor, MI, United States, Jie Zhang, George Mason Univ, Fairfax, VA, United States, Haosheng Lin, Institute for Astronomy, Honolulu, HI, United States and Edward E DeLuca, SAO, Cambridge, MA, United States
Abstract:
Measurements of coronal and chromospheric magnetic fields are arguably the most important observables required for advances in our understanding of the processes responsible for coronal heating, coronal dynamics and the generation of space weather that affects communications, GPS systems, space flight, and power transmission. The Coronal Solar Magnetism Observatory (COSMO) is a proposed ground-based suite of instruments designed for routine study of coronal and chromospheric magnetic fields and their environment, and to understand the formation of coronal mass ejections (CME) and their relation to other forms of solar activity. This new facility will be operated by the High Altitude Observatory of the National Center for Atmospheric Research (HAO/NCAR) with partners at the University of Michigan, the University of Hawaii and George Mason University in support of the solar and heliospheric community. It will replace the current NCAR Mauna Loa Solar Observatory (http://mlso.hao.ucar.edu). COSMO will enhance the value of existing and new observatories on the ground and in space by providing unique and crucial observations of the global coronal and chromospheric magnetic field and its evolution. The design and current status of the COSMO will be reviewed.