THE HAWAII SOLAR FLARE PATROL

The Hawaii Solar Flare Patrol was established in 1957 by the University of Hawaii as part of the IGY Solar Activity program. The location in Hawaii provided important coverage in the large Pacific gap. The observatory was at Makapuu Point, Oahu, about 14 miles from the University. Sky conditions were such that observations were made on about 60% of the scheduled observing hours during 1957 to 1962. The flare patrol in strument consisted of a fixed telescope inside the building with the solar beam directed to it by a heliostat. The sun was photographed normally every two minutes through an H alpha filter of 1/2A band pass. The films were measured daily and all flares reported immediately to the World Warning Agency and on a monthly basis to the IGY World Data Centers. (Author)