SMARPs and SHARPs: Two Solar Cycles of Active Region Data

TL;DR

This paper introduces SMARPs and SHARPs, comprehensive datasets of solar active regions over two solar cycles, derived from MDI and HMI instruments, enabling long-term solar magnetic activity studies.

Contribution

The paper presents the creation and comparison of SMARP and SHARP datasets, providing continuous, long-term active region data from two solar cycles for the first time.

Findings

SMARP and SHARP datasets cover two solar cycles from 1996 to present.

SMARP data derived from MDI maps complements SHARP data from HMI.

Comparison shows consistency and differences between the two datasets.

Abstract

We present a new data product, called Space-Weather MDI Active Region Patches (SMARPs), derived from maps of the solar surface magnetic field taken by the Michelson Doppler Imager (MDI) aboard the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SoHO). Together with the Space-Weather HMI Active Region Patches (SHARPs), derived from similar maps taken by the Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager (HMI) aboard the Solar Dynamics Observatory, these data provide a continuous and seamless set of maps and keywords that describe every active region observed over the last two solar cycles, from 1996 to the present day. In this paper, we describe the SMARP data and compare it to the SHARP data.