REPORT FROM ISAS
                        31-Jan-94 to 14-Feb-94
                              L. W. Acton

SXT continues to perform beautifully after 29 months in orbit. I have
carefully checked recent CCD dark frames and calculate that, at the rate of
increase in dark signal observed over the past 6 months it will take 5
years for the dark signal to double.  This would leave it still well within
a usable range so -- let's make an SXT movie that covers an entire solar
cycle!!

Along those lines, last week I received the good news that NASA does not
plan to terminate Yohkoh operations at the end of 3 years.  FY95 funds to
continue the mission are in the budget.

Over the past 2 weeks the quiet GOES flux level has ranged from B1 to B6 or
so.  There have been only a few flares that have reached into the C-class. 
We have had several false flare flags associated with SAA exit (a temporary
problem that happens when the Yohkoh apogee falls in the SAA) but no real
flare flags during the period.

In the course of examining recent SXT visible light diffuser images I
discovered that the solar image area was covered with tiny specks which
were not contamination spots.  Full resolution diffuser images were
acquired and it is found that these specks are about 20 DN deep and are
usually 1-3 pixels in extent.  I think these are ghost images of the
intense core of flare kernels--but this has not been proven.  If it is the
case the size and area distribution of these flare ghosts may reveal some
interesting information on kernel properties.

A mini-workshop was held at ISAS on 9-Feb-94 on campaign observations.  The
primary focus of the meeting was the worldwide campaign to observe emerging
flux regions which took place last August.  Unfortunately, observing
conditions at the Japanese observatories were unusually poor--a typhoon
came through in the middle of the campaign--so that full benefit was not
obtained.  None the less, some useful coordinated observations were
obtained and are being followed up.

Because the sun is so quiet we are increasing the frequency of long full
sun exposures taken by SXT.