Cycle solar imagery wavelengths to build intuition¶
The Solar And Lunar panel in the HF Propagation Dashboard displays a live solar image. Clicking the image cycles through five wavelength views, each revealing different solar features. Use this to develop a feel for what the sun is doing and how it relates to current propagation conditions.
Before you start¶
- Open the HF Propagation Dashboard via
View > Propagation Conditions.
Steps¶
- Locate the Solar And Lunar panel in the lower section of the dialog. The image label below the solar image shows the current wavelength — the default is Corona (193Å).
- Click the solar image once. The view advances to the next wavelength in the sequence.
- Continue clicking to cycle through all five wavelengths in order:
| Position | Label |
|---|---|
| 1 | Corona (193Å) |
| 2 | Chromosphere (304Å) |
| 3 | Quiet Corona (171Å) |
| 4 | Flaring (94Å) |
| 5 | Visible (HMI) |
- Stop clicking when the label below the image shows the wavelength you want to study.
What each control does¶
| Control | Behavior |
|---|---|
| Solar And Lunar panel (solar image) | Displays a live solar image. Each click advances to the next wavelength. Cycles back to Corona (193Å) after the last entry. Default view is Corona (193Å). |
| What To Look For | Displays rotating plain-language notes explaining what to observe in the currently shown solar image. Updates automatically as you cycle wavelengths. |
Tips¶
- Read the What To Look For panel alongside each image. It provides plain-language guidance matched to the current solar view, which helps you connect visual features to propagation effects.
- The Flaring (94Å) view highlights high-temperature plasma associated with flare activity. Cross-reference it with the X-RAY metric card to see whether any visible flare regions are producing elevated X-ray flux.
- No radio connection is required to use this feature.
Dashboard window behavior¶
The HF Propagation Dashboard uses a persistent window geometry that saves and restores its position and size automatically. The dialog stores its geometry under the PropDashboardDialogGeometry setting key. It does not support frameless window mode; the standard window chrome is always active. The dialog and its embedded panels use the active theme throughout; separator lines, rationale backgrounds, and learning‑note panels all respect the current color scheme.