With the first stone laid in the foundation of the future telescope, experts predict that this marvel of scientific engineering will be the most complex and expensive instrument within the National Heliogeophysical Complex. The cost of the project is estimated at about 36 billion rubles, and the solar telescope should be fully operational by 2030.
In this ground-breaking development, construction has begun on the largest solar telescope in Eurasia, located near the breathtaking Lake Baikal in the Buryat Republic, not far from the border with Mongolia. This ambitious project, which forms a key part of the National Heliogeophysical Complex in Russia, is headed by the Institute of Solar and Earth Physics of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
“The telescope project was completed last year… This year we only plan to prepare the construction site. At the beginning of next year, subcontracting organizations will be hired for certain types of work,” Sergey Olemskoy, first deputy director. ISTP, he told a Russian news agency.
Solar telescope photosphere in unprecedented detail
The state-of-the-art telescope is designed to reveal the secrets of the Sun’s magnetic fields and the solar activity cycle. Scientists are trying to study the solar photosphere in unprecedented detail, enabling in-depth analysis of solar flares, coronal mass ejections and other solar phenomena. This invaluable tool is ready to solve basic and practical scientific questions.
The optical scheme of the telescope boasts 13 mirrors, with the primary mirror having a massive diameter of 3 meters and made of a special glass-ceramic material called astrositall. Consisting of a tower, technology building, laboratory and administrative buildings, this innovative design will reach a height of 42 meters and weigh a staggering 120 tonnes.
Dmitry Kolobov, head of the Laboratory of Experimental Solar Physics and Astrophysical Instrumentation, expressed his enthusiasm for the chosen site near Lake Baikal and cited the unique astroclimate created by the mountains and the lake. This choice promises approximately 10% of the effective observing time per year necessary to study the solar corona.
The importance of studying the Sun stems from its profound impact on spacecraft, near-Earth space, above-ground infrastructure, and human health. As communication and navigation satellites proliferate as the earth develops, predicting and understanding solar effects becomes imperative to ensure safety.
“We have to anticipate it. And not only to enrich the knowledge of our light, but mainly to ensure the safety of our lives,” said Gennady Krasnikov, president of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
With construction of the Solar Telescope underway, scientists are excited to unlock the secrets of the Sun, an undertaking that will deepen our understanding of the universe while ensuring the safety and advancement of technology here on Earth.
The National Heliogeophysical Complex is a mega-scientific project with the goal of achieving groundbreaking scientific discoveries. It includes a number of facilities located throughout the Irkutsk Region and Buryatia.
By 2030, the complex will include a multiwavelength radioheliograph, a radar system, a mesostratospheric lidar, and a heating rack, all of which are essential for studying the near-space, magnetosphere, ionosphere, and Earth’s upper atmosphere.
