Date of Award
3-26-2015
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science in Applied Physics
Department
Department of Engineering Physics
First Advisor
William F. Bailey, PhD.
Abstract
This research modifies and expands previous work by Spahr in 2014 to automatically identify and classify sunspot groups in satellite images. Data from the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) are analyzed to produce a database of sunspot information that is not biased by individual solar observers. Results of the algorithm on SOHO/MDI data correlate well with NOAA's reported data for region properties with R2 values greater than 0.75, but with a ratio of less than one. In particular, the results of analyzing SOHO data report less than 25% of the spots reported by NOAA. By considering a test case comparison with an SDO observation, resolution is likely the main factor in detection discrepancies.
AFIT Designator
AFIT-ENP-MS-15-M-078
DTIC Accession Number
ADA621617
Recommended Citation
Howard, Samantha R., "Automated Sunspot Detection and Classification Using SOHO/MDI Imagery" (2015). Theses and Dissertations. 82.
https://scholar.afit.edu/etd/82