This viewer displays a model of the solar coronal magnetic field,
which is represented by a selection of fieldlines that have been
computed from the long-running PFSS model at LMSAL. Users with access
to IDL and SolarSoft can access this model via the "pfss"
package. General information on SolarSoft can be found
at this
link.
Models for each day are available from 2010 to the present. The
fieldlines depicted are colored based on whether they are closed
(white) or open (green or magenta, depending on polarity). The surface
magnetic map is based on a flux-transport model of the solar
photosphere, with magnetogram data inserted at regular intervals.
The green spot on the surface indicates the "disk center" point
from the viewer's perspective, and the yellow spot on the surface
signifies the "disk center" point as viewed from Earth for the date of
the fieldline model.