Exciting news from the Chinese mainland! Construction has begun in Daocheng County, Sichuan Province on the state-of-the-art 2.5-meter Wide-field and High-resolution Solar Telescope (WeHoST), set to become the world's largest axisymmetric solar telescope. 🌞🚀
Led by Nanjing University in collaboration with the Nanjing Institute of Astronomical Optics and Technology and Yunnan Observatories of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, this groundbreaking project first took off in 2022. Perched at an impressive 4,700 meters on an unnamed mountain, the location offers exceptional atmospheric stability to capture every detail of the sun.
Combining a wide field of view with high spatial resolution, WeHoST will enable multi-band imaging and magnetic field observations, shedding light on solar flares, coronal mass ejections, and other dynamic solar phenomena. Researchers are buzzing about the potential to unlock new insights into the origin and evolution of solar active regions.
With supporting infrastructure and telescope assembly scheduled for completion by the end of 2026, this high-altitude marvel is poised to usher in a new era of solar research. Stay tuned as this project helps us better understand our very own star and inspires future explorers of the cosmos!
Reference(s):
China makes progress in building world's highest solar observatory
cgtn.com
