Remeasurement of Solar Observing Optical Network sunspot areas

ABSTRACT The United States Air Force solar observing optical network (SOON) sunspot areas have been reported by several researchers over many years to be underestimated by as much as 50 per cent. Here, the areas of sunspots from scanned SOON disc drawings have been accurately remeasured for a period of two months from 2014 October and November – this being near the peak of Solar Cycle 24 and which includes the largest sunspot group of that cycle. The remeasured sunspot areas are now comparable with areas in sunspot catalogues.