14 November 1999
                                                              H. Hudson
                                                            D. McKenzie


 
                   CHIEF OBSERVER'S REPORT for Week 46
                        07-Nov-99 to 12-Nov-99


GENERAL 

Solar activity was moderately high, the GOES background staying above C
level all week.  A number of M flares occurred, but still no new X
flares. On Sunday we probably observed an M8, very impulsive, plus
three other M flares. There were DSN dumps just before and just after
the M8, and Yohkoh was both in daylight and out of the SAA.  There will
be a special observation on Nov. 15, to record Yohkoh's second transit
of Mercury. This week also we will see the Leonids again.

SXT TECHNICAL 
The instrument continued to work well.  The flare trigger threshold was
raised again, as the level of X-ray activity continues to increase.

For Web material see

Current Week: http://isass1.solar.isas.ac.jp/sxt_co/991112.html
Index:        http://isass1.solar.isas.ac.jp/sxt_co/index.html

In this week's Nugget we describe some of the observations expected
during the upcoming transit of Mercury.

CAMPAIGNS 
There were no organized campaigns this week.  We are experimenting with
higher-cadence quarter-resolution FFIs to try and catch a Moreton-type
wave.

For SXT plans, see:

http://isass1.solar.isas.ac.jp/sxt_co/sxt_future.html

For SXT completed campaigns, see:

http://isass1.solar.isas.ac.jp/sxt_co/sxt_catalog.html


PERSONNEL
Dick Canfield returned to Bozeman, and Nariaki Nitta arrived from Palo
Alto.

SEMINARS

The seminar this week was "High-Beta Disruption in the Solar Corona",
given by K. Shibasaki.  The discussion centered on the importance of
centrifugal force in plasma flows in flaring loops, and the possibility of
ballooning instability. 


                       SXT TABLE PLAN, WEEK 47
                       (15-Nov-99 to 20-Nov-99)

Mercury transit early morning Tuesday, 15-Nov, and SXT will have special
tables. Leonid meteor shower is Thursday, 18-Nov, and SXT tables will be
mostly standard, but conservative.

________________________________#_______________________________

JST Day         UT Start Time      Pass   Table ID

Tuesday morn.   15-NOV-99 15:08    2      991115 P2 ARS1 MERC*
Wednesday morn. 16-NOV-99 15:21    2      991116 P2 ARS1 DARK*
Wednesday night 17-NOV-99 13:51    1      991117 P1 ARS1 DIFF
Thursday morn.  17-NOV-99 18:59    4      991117 P4 ARS1 STD*
Thursday night  18-NOV-99 12:23    1      991118 P1 ARS1 STD
Friday night    19-NOV-99 14:17    2      991119 P2 ARS1 STD
Saturday night  20-NOV-99 12:47    2      991120 P2 ARS1 WKEND


As previously, the * in the table name indicates that the UT
date doesn't match the JST date of the contact pass.

This plan is subject to change all over again.