The International Scientific Committee of the Canary Observatories has given the green light for the use of the Roque de Los Muchachos Observatory in Garafia, La Palma, to install the European Solar Telescope (EST).
The project is being overseen by 26 research institutes from 18 European countries.
Construction is due to begin in 2023, once the necessary funding has been allocated.
The EST will have a primary mirror with a diameter of 4.2 metres and an advanced system of adaptive optics-technology designed to minimise image distortions produced by terrestrial atmospheric turbulence.
Thanks to its large mirror and specialised optical design, the EST will also be able to measure the Sun’s magnetic field structure with a high level of precision, which will be a significant improvement on current technology at work.
The main aim of the telescope is to give astronomers a better understanding of solar magnetic activity, improve research into the dynamics of the lower solar atmosphere and to understand phenomena such as sunspots and flares with unprecedented accuracy.
