Journal notes, Quiet
GELLER Labs "Backyard Science"
Thoughts on a proton precession magnetometer design - a Proton Magnetometer Project. Build an Earth's field magnetometer.
The FDM MAGNETOMETER1 project is a low cost high performance proton magnetometer (a digital magnetometer) kit under development for universities and amateur scientists to be able to accurately measure and monitor changes in the Earth's total magnetic F field and to observe geomagnetic storms. Magnetic storms can cause large excursions in the field and are of concern to interests ranging from electrical power grids, radio communications, and satellite operations, to aurora watchers and amateur radio operators.
1 Filter Diagonalization Method "FDM" (harmonic inversion), see Jan 21 and Jan 23 entries, based on: Vladimir A. Mandelshtam, Howard S. Taylor, Harmonic inversion of time signals and its applications, Journal of Chemical Physics (1997), Volume 107, Issue 17, 1997, Pages 6756-6769
(be sure to hit refresh to pick up our latest changes and entries)
Project Documentation (very early stages)
Journal Notes:
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Evening: Curious, a small positive pulse, only around 3 nT, appeared just before midnight on our local magnetogram in upstate NY PDF. While many events typically show up as much larger events in the northern latitudes, this one registered mostly at FRD and Stennis, MS, USGS PDF, as well as at the relatively nearby NRCan OTT PDF. All is quiet by the NASA Costello Geomagnetic Activity Index PDF, and then a little later, a corresponding negative swing PDF, showed up at most all of the U.S. observatories PDF, albeit still not significantly stronger in the norther latitudes. Such events might be common and insignificant, this observation is just an example of the kind of detail in a magnetogram that one can study as the focus moves from designing and building a working FDM proton precession magnetometer to observing the daily magnetograms.
Monday, September 20 , 2010
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Overnight: PDF, TXT. There was another small positive pulse around 7 UTC (3 am EST) that predominantly registered at lower latitudes (could be a common occurance) USGS PDF, NRCan PDF. The forecast increase in activity to K4 did not seem to materialize, NASA Costello Geomagnetic Activity Index (green symbols are the predicted values) PDF, (nevertheless, the Costello index appears overall to be a very reliable predictor of increased activity) NOAA K index PDF.
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Overnight: PDF, TXT. The geomagnetic field here in upstate, NY was very quiet (dead flat calm) this morning from about 12 am to about 7 am.
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Overnight: PDF, TXT, the geomagnetic field was only slightly more active overnight. The average value has now fallen below 53,760 nT (locally) as our total "F" field scalar is decreasing by about -144 nT / year.
We will be making the next prototype run of the NBLNA (analog) board and the SWCTL (zero-current switching hybrid FET-Relay) board soon, any comments are welcomed. A gain trim was added to the NBLNA board Ver. 0.9.2, see project docs.
Firday, September 24, 2010
Overnight: PDF, TXT, USGS PDF, expanded PDF for comparison to NRCan PDF. Again, more active overnight than past days, yet at sub-storm levels. Campare to the quiet overnight period of Monday, 9/22/10 PDF.
Saturday, September 25, 2010
Overnight: PDF. A small peak and recovery between about 1:30 am and 3:00 am, otherwise our local magnetogram was uneventful overnight. A several day view PDF, TXT, shows a number of large offsets caused by vehicles parked (arrived and departed) within a couple of hundred feet of the counter-wound sensor coil pair. Offsets aside, what is noteworthy is the continued (expected) movement downward of the overnight field (now on the order of 53,750 nT) and the increase in afternoon / evening activity yesterday, albeit still well below magnetic storm levels.
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Overnight: PDF, TXT. Quiet overnight. Interesting small, but relatively fast trasient this morning between about 10 am and noon, overnight expanded vertical scale PDF, TXT, NRCan OTT PDF. 100 nT scale magnetogram to put the small event in perspective, PDF.
Thinking more about digitizing.
We will be making the next prototype run of the NBLNA (analog) board and the SWCTL (zero-current switching hybrid FET-Relay) board soon. Comments are welcomed! A gain trim was added to the NBLNA board Ver. 0.9.2, see project docs.
Project Documentation (very early stages)
QUESTIONS/COMMENTS/notice of typos, etc. send email to joegeller at gellerlabs dot com
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