Due to the Vacuum Tower Telescope (VTT) at Observatorio del Teide in Tenerife, researchers can now see the Sun with the greatest detail ever—in 8K resolution. Constructed by Germany’s Leibniz Institute for Astrophysics Potsdam (AIP), the telescope represents a technological advancement in the imaging of the Sun in that it offers high resolution as well as an ample field of view, something that has hitherto been a challenge for solar observation.”.
Unlike older solar telescopes that tend to give up image sharpness for more of an overview, the VTT retains good spatial resolution even in wide-angle shots. It is able to take 100 exposures at 25 frames per second with a whopping 8000×6000 pixels. This information can then be processed into ultra-HD 8K images. Such clarity, right down to details just 100 kilometers wide on the surface of the Sun, helps cut out the blurring effects normally inflicted by Earth’s atmosphere.
8K resolution of the sun
How The New Imagery Will Help Scientists?
The upgraded imagery presents new opportunities to solar researchers. With the ability to resolve the Sun’s fine structure, scientists are able to better examine solar flares and sunspots—phenomena shaped by magnetic fields and plasma flows. Space weather events, which have a direct influence on space weather, range from satellite operation to power grids on Earth. With its resolution of large-scale solar features, some of which extend to 200,000 kilometers, the VTT significantly expands our knowledge of solar dynamics.
Employing advanced filters, scientists are now able to identify even the slightest magnetic signals as bright spots in the Sun’s photosphere and chromosphere. In an attempt to improve knowledge of the solar activity, it is also important not just to study the basic processes of the fine structure and the long-term behavior of global activity with different instruments, but also to examine the temporal evolution of the magnetic field of active regions,” says Rolf Schlichenmaier of the Kiepenheuer Institute for Solar Physics (KIS).
Vintage Telescope, Contemporary Tools
The VTT’s abilities are supported by sophisticated equipment such as the HELioseismic Large Region Interferometric Device (HELLRIDE), the Laser Absolute Reference Spectrograph (LARS), and the Fast Multi-line Universal Spectrograph (FaMuLUS). These enable scientists to carry out deeper and more diverse probes into solar activity. As the head of AIP’s Solar Physics Section, Carsten Denker, would say, “The results obtained show how, together with our partners, we are teaching an old telescope new tricks.
A detailed report on this technology has been released in the journal Solar Physics, offering more information on how this high-definition solar imagery can revolutionize our knowledge of the star at the heart of our solar system.
