Swedish scientists unveil world’s second-largest solar telescope

Associated Press

STOCKHOLM, Sweden — The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences on Saturday unveiled what it called the world’s second-largest optical solar telescope.

The telescope on the Spanish island of La Palma will allow scientists to explore magnetic fields in the sun’s atmosphere and spots on its surface at a greater resolution than previously possible, academy spokesman Jonas Foerare said.

Foerare said viewing through the telescope will be like taking a picture of a quarter from a distance of 30 miles.

The high resolution is made possible by a new type of mirror that corrects the blurring caused by Earth’s atmosphere, he said.

The telescope sits atop a 7,900-foot peak on La Palma, in the Canary Islands, a Spanish island group off the northwest coast of Africa. The location was chosen because of its stable, thin air, which provides optimal viewing conditions, Foerare said.

The telescope cost $1.6 million to build and was funded by the science academy and three private foundations in Sweden. It’s the largest telescope of its kind outside the Kitt Peak National Observatory near Tucson, Ariz., the academy said.

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