Simple Aurora Monitor
The project Simple Aurora Monitor ( SAM ) is an amateur science project to predict auroras . Amateur astronomers and hobby photographers are interested in the likelihood of auroral sighting for visual observation, radio amateurs are interested in the possibility of aurora connections .
SAM was initiated in 2002 by radio amateurs Karsten Hansky (DL3HRT) and Dirk Langenbach (DG3DA). They developed the blueprint and software for an easy-to-build magnetometer and made them available to any interested hobbyist to replicate.
This measuring device, also called SAM , continuously logs fluctuations in the intensity of the earth's magnetic field at a fixed location. Since polar lights occur more frequently during a magnetic storm, conclusions can be drawn about the intensity of the luminous phenomena based on the changes in the earth's magnetic field.
SAM measurement network
By merging the measurement results from many identical SAM installations, a Europe-wide measurement network has now emerged. There are currently around 60 SAMs in operation. Most of them are run by private individuals, some also by astronomical associations or institutes.
Technical data of the SAM device
The measuring device consists of a measuring head and evaluation electronics. The electronics can manage up to two Speake FGM3 sensors. The basis of the evaluation electronics is a PIC -16F877-20 microcontroller .
The magnetometer has the following key data:
- Measurement of up to two magnetic field components
- Measuring range: approx. +/- 20,000 nT
- Resolution: 1-2 nT
- Output of the measured values on an illuminated LCD (4 × 20 characters)
- Output of the measured values on the RS-232 interface
Since the magnetic field sensors also react to temperature fluctuations, they are buried at many permanently installed measuring stations or installed in suitable cellar rooms.
In order to be able to display the current data on the Internet, a PC can be connected via the RS-232 interface.
With an absolute measurement of the north / south component ( B x ) and east / west component ( B y ), the horizontal components H and the declination D can be determined:
This corresponds (in addition to the specification of the vertical components B z ) to the specification of magnetic field components customary in the professional sector. For example in the Intermagnet measuring network , in which the Niemegk and Wingst observatories of the GeoForschungsZentrum Potsdam and the geomagnetic observatory Fürstenfeldbruck of the Ludwig Maximilians University in Munich participate.
A comparison of the measurements of SAM with those of the Intermagnet shows that SAM can keep up with the professional stations with good thermal shielding of the sensors.