The Tower Solar Telescope 1 (BST-1) of the Crimean Astrophysical Observatory (CrAO), according to TASS, will undergo modernization for the first time in almost half a century.
The named complex was built in 1955. The system is intended for observations of the Sun with high spatial resolution - up to 0,3 arcsec.
The height of the telescope tower is 25 meters. Under its dome there is a complete pair of mirrors, which directs the solar beam down to the main mirror with a diameter of 90 cm.
The reconstruction of the BST-1 to its present appearance was completed in 1973. The system is used to study various active phenomena on the surface of the Sun, their evolution, etc. In addition, the complex makes it possible to observe global fluctuations of our luminary as a star.
It is reported that the modernization of the BST-1 was started by specialists of the CrAO together with colleagues from the United States. We are talking about the creation of a new device - the so-called spectropolarimeter, designed to study the magnetic field of the Sun.
The projected instrument will make it possible "to study the magnetic field, solar activity, flares in different spectral lines at altitudes from 100 to 1 thousand km in the solar atmosphere and obtain high-quality data in electronic and digitized form."
The creation of the device will take up to three years. It is assumed that the tool will allow a better understanding of the nature of flares and other active processes on the Sun.
Source: 3dnews.ru