May 09, 2012 Nighttime is the astronomer’s day. After all,
anyone wishing to see the stars must wait until it is dark.
There is one exception to this rule, however: the sun. Close up,
it can be used to study not only the properties of a typical
star, but also its relationship with the planets. Observing
eruptions of matter, sunspots or even the solar magnetic field
in detail requires telescopes with a large aperture, such as
Gregor, which will be inaugurated in Tenerife in the coming
days. With a mirror diameter of 1.5 metres, the telescope will
be able to show structures on the sun on spatial scales as small
as 70 kilometres, making it one of the three most powerful
instruments in the world. Text: Helmut Hornung Tenerife is not
just a popular destination for holidaymakers. Astronomers have
also long since discovered the appeal of the Canary Island.
Observation conditions are ideal on the plateau at the foot of
the 3,718-metre-high Teide volcano. A consortium of researchers
from the Kiepenheuer Institute for