What can be compared?
Solar Lab puts GOES soft X-rays, RSTN microwaves, RHESSI observing-summary count rates and POEMAS millimeter observations on a shared UTC timeline. Optional regional tools add SDO/AIA light curves, SDO/HMI magnetic flux and magnetograms, and NSO/GONG H-alpha contrast.
The flare catalogue and CDAW CME context help identify events. Each provider has its own archive: a panel may have gaps or no observations for your selected time.
Open an event and compare instruments
Choose a date and time interval in Solar Lab, then plot it. Add observations from the sidebar, inspect coverage and drag a chart to zoom. A shared time marker helps compare timing across panels. Copy the view link to preserve the selected window and controls.
Try the 22 October 2014 example window. It is an exploration entry point, not a guarantee that every instrument observed the full interval.
Coverage, time and gaps
Time axes use UTC. Synchronizing the axes aligns timestamps; it does not make the instruments spatially identical or give them identical cadence. Use the coverage controls, quality information and each observation's timestamp.
GOES spans multiple satellite epochs. Radio archives, RHESSI summaries and regional imagery have different available periods. Empty sections can reflect unavailable observations, quality selection or upstream access problems. Do not interpolate a gap as a measured signal.
Units and background subtraction
GOES XRS shows irradiance in W m−2. Radio flux density uses solar flux units where provided by the dataset. RHESSI observing summaries show approximate count rates, not a calibrated photon spectrum.
Background subtraction forms a difference in the original physical units. It can produce zero or negative values; inspect the panel's scale and export metadata when interpreting excess signals. A quick look supports event inspection and does not replace instrument-specific calibration or uncertainty analysis.
Regional measurements
AIA, HMI and H-alpha tools measure a selected region and may require a queued processing job. Spatial selection, image channel, reference/background choice and coverage affect the result. HMI magnetic flux is a derived regional quantity; a magnetogram is a reference image, not an independent flare forecast.
Export, rights and citation
Exports depend on the observation and its provider. POEMAS and Dst are displayed but are not downloadable from Solar Lab. Access to a graph does not grant blanket redistribution rights over all underlying data.
Cite the original instruments and archives, state the interval and processing choices, and retain the provenance included in permitted exports. Solar OpenMonitor is an independent, free service; its website source code is proprietary.
Original sources
- NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center: GOES context and solar event information.
- NOAA NCEI: historical solar and radio archives.
- RHESSI at NASA: instrument and observing-summary documentation.
- CRAAM/Mackenzie: POEMAS and solar radio research.
- NASA SDO and JSOC: AIA and HMI observations.
- NSO/GONG: H-alpha observations.
- NASA/CDAW: LASCO CME catalogue.