The radiant flux from an active region is determined by the presence of sunspots and faculae, which have different temporal developments. An important question in solar physics is what is the energy budget in active regions. An answer to this and related questions requires uninterrupted observations, with photometrically stable imaging, over the life of the active region. We propose to combine SOHO/MDI observations with ground-based images at the Ca II K-line and other wavelengths to determine the energy budget of as many active regions as practical. We would also improve our knowledge of the facular irradiance contribution to variations in the total irradiance and we would improve our knowledge of the center-to-limb contrast of faculae.
Complete text of proposal.