Europe's Largest Solar Telescope Hits Milestone With Durham Team
The European Solar Telescope (EST) has been granted 'Landmark' status by the European Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructures. The project, which includes a team from Durham University, aims to provide high-resolution observations of the sun to better predict solar activity.
Why it matters
Advancements in solar observation are critical for protecting Earth's infrastructure from the impacts of dangerous solar flares.
Our scientists are part of an international team behind plans for Europe's largest solar telescope - which has just reached a new milestone.
The European Solar Telescope (EST) has been granted ESFRI Landmark status by the European Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructures (ESFRI).
Landmark status recognises EST's progress towards construction, its scientific ambition, and its expected role within Europe's research infrastructure landscape.
Our Centre for Advanced Instrumentation - part of our Department of Physics - will work on adaptive optics to correct the blurring effects of the Earth's atmosphere.
High-resolution images from the EST will allow astronomers to understand the environment in and around the sun.
This will help them to better predict when dangerous solar flares may strike the Earth.
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