Poster abstract details

Developed at the Obervatoire de la Côte d'Azur (OCA) within the framework of the PICARD space mission and with support from the french spatial agency (CNES), MISOLFA is a new generation of daytime turbulence monitor. Its objective is to measure both the spatial and temporal turbulence parameters in order to quantify their effect on the diameter measurements that will be made from ground using the qualification model of the SODISM instrument onboard PICARD. The comparison of simultaneous images from ground and space should allow us, with the help of the solar monitor, to find the best procedure possible to measure solar diameter variations from ground on the long term. MISOLFA is now installed at the Calern facility of OCA and PICARD is scheduled to be launched in February 2010. We will present here the principles of the instrument and the first results obtained on the characteristics of the turbulence observed at Calern observatory using this monitor while waiting for the launch of the space mission.