Kwasan and Hida Observatories, Graduate School of Schience, Kyoto University japanese Home page

The Flare Monitoring Telescope (FMT)

About the FMT

The FMT was constructed in 1992 to investigate the long-term variation of solar activity and explosive events. It has been part of the international coordinated observations program (STEP) since 1991. In March 2010, it was moved from Hida to Ica University in Peru as part of CHAIN-project. The FMT consists of 6 small telescopes, five of which observe the sun at different wavelengths or in different modes. The remaining one is equipped with a guider for accurate tracking of the sun.

FMT observations of the sun at different wavelengths or in different modes enables us to study how solar activity affects human activities in space or on The Earth. Such studies enable improved radio communication operations, electronic transmissions on The Earth, and experiments in space.

The images were obtained every two seconds and recorded with time-lapsed video tapes from 1992 to May 2006. From September 1996 to May 2006, we had also been using a digital data recording system with the A/D converter. Digital images from this system were recorded every minute. Moreover, in May 2006, we introduced the new digital CCD camera system, so that pixel resolutions and digital bit depths were improved and the exposure-time was reduced. Normally, this new system has obtained one series of digital images every 20 seconds.


Examples of the data.

You can find a "FMT Event-List" which lists all events found using the FMT images.

Please enjoy movies of flares, filament/promience eruptions, surges etc.

Access to current solar images obtained by the FMT.
(After completion of infrastructures at Ica University, this service will be started again.)

You can freely download all FMT raw data in PGM-format or Raw-data format.

The performance of the telescope system.

The telescope.

Apature64mm
Manufactured byNishimura Co. Ltd.
Focal length1920 mm
F/ratio30
Minifying lens systemMinolta (Now:Conica-Minolta) Co. Ltd.


Filters

ND FilterKenko Co. Ltd. R64/N8(Reduction factor: 1/8)
Monochromatic filtersHa center Tele.6562.8/0.42 A
Ha -0.8 A Tele.6562.0/0.5 A
Ha +0.8 A Tele.6563.6/0.5 A
Continuum Tele.6100/60 A
Prominence Mode Tele.6562.8/3 A
Mainly manufactured by Day-Star Co. Ltd. (Central wavelength / FWHM)

CCD system.

[After 2006 May]
CCD Takenaka System Co.LTD/ Digital Full Frame Shutter Camera FC1500CL (CamLink)
Time Resolution every 20 seconds (changeable)
Bit Depth 10 bits
Pixel Number 1392x1040

[Before 2006 May]
CCDSony Video CCD AVC-D7
VideosPanasonic Co. Ltd.Time-Lapsed Videos (AG-6570A)
Every 2 seconds
Digital Form RecorderPHOTRON Co. Ltd. AD-Converter (FRM2-512)
Every 1 min.
Bit depth8 bits
Pixel number512x512

Representative published work using the FMT

All papers relating with the FMT are shown in [this page].

About flare monitoring telescope
"Observations of Solar H alpha Filament Disappearances with a New Solar Flare-Monitoring-Telescope at Hida Observatory"
H.Kurokawa et al.
J.Geomag.Geoelectr., 47, 1043-1052, 1995

Moreton waves
"Relation between a Moreton Wave and an EIT Wave Observed on 1997 November 4"
S.Eto et al.
PASJ, Vol.54, No.3, pp.481-491, 2002

"Simultaneous Observation of a Moreton Wave on 1997 November 3 in H-alpha and Soft X-Rays"
N.Narukage et al.
ApJ, Volume 572, Issue 1, pp. L109-L112., 2002

Filament disappearances
"A Method for the Determination of 3-D Velocity Fields of Disappearing Solar Filaments"
T.Morimoto and H.Kurokawa
PASJ Vol.55, p503-518, 2003

"Eruptive and Quasi-Eruptive Disappearing Solar Filaments and Their Relationship with Coronal Activities"
T.Morimoto and H.Kurokawa
PASJ Vol.55, p1141-1151, 2003