solar telescope

instrument

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July 23, 2026

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solar corona The Sun's corona as seen by the Large Angle Spectrometric Coronagraph (LASCO) aboard the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO).

A solar telescope is an instrument specifically designed for observing the Sun. These telescopes can be refractors or reflectors and are used to study solar features like sunspots and prominences.12

Specialized solar telescopes are equipped with ancillary instruments such as spectroheliographs and coronagraphs for in-depth solar investigations. Many of these are tower telescopes with long focal objectives, allowing for detailed examination of specific wavelengths within the Sun's electromagnetic spectrum.2

Historically, telescopic observations of sunspots began in the early 17th century with figures like Galileo Galilei. Advances in technology, including the development of coronagraphs and space-based observatories, have significantly enhanced our ability to study the Sun and its phenomena.324

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telescope
Solar telescopes
Either a refractor or a reflector may be used for visual observations of solar features, such as sunspots or solar prominences. Special solar telescopes have been constructed, however, for investigations of the Sun that require the use of such ancillary instruments as spectroheliographs…
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Either a refractor or a reflector may be used for visual observations of solar features, such as sunspots or solar prominences. Special solar telescopes have been constructed, however, for investigations of the Sun that require the use of such ancillary instruments as spectroheliographs…
Read More