Automation and modernization of legacy BiSON solar observatories with the BiSON:NG platform

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Abstract
The Birmingham Solar Oscillations Network (BiSON) provides long-term, high-precision Sun-as-a-star radial-velocity observations for helioseismology. While most BiSON sites operate autonomously, two observatories at Observatorio del Teide, Tenerife, and at Mount Wilson Observatory, USA, have historically required daily on-site operation. We present the automation of these sites using the BiSON:NG next-generation observing platform, incorporating compact fibre-fed instrumentation and a modular, microservice-based control and data acquisition architecture. At both locations, new automated optical feeds and a common software framework have been deployed, enabling autonomous operation of the observing subsystems, including guiding, data acquisition, and instrument control, despite markedly different physical and operational constraints. The upgrades demonstrate that modern automation can be successfully integrated within existing and historic observatory infrastructure. Adoption of the BiSON:NG architecture reduces operational overhead, mitigates risks associated with hardware and software obsolescence, and supports sustainable operation of the network over the multi-decade time-scales required for helioseismic studies. The flexibility of the architecture also provides a pathway for future deployment of additional small-footprint observatories.
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Funding Information
  • Science and Technology Facilities Council (ST/V000500/1)
  • Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities (PID2023-146453NB-100)
  • University of Southern California