Status and future of the SANAE neutron monitor

Abstract

The South African neutron monitor in Antarctica has been observing the intensity of cosmic rays since the 1960’s. Such long-term records are invaluable to the scientific community and represent an almost continuous record of solar activity variations over more than half a century. We will discuss some of the most notable observations of this instrument, but focus on the recent hardware developments that are currently retro-fitted to the neutron monitor which will enable the instrument to operate semi-autonomously from 2019 onwards. This is especially relevant as 2018 will be the last year that a “cosmic ray engineer” will be able to over-winter at SANAE. - Abstract as displayed in the - Abstract booklet. The presentation on the day may differ from the - Abstract.