GREGOR: the New German Solar Telescope

TL;DR

GREGOR is a new 1.5-meter solar telescope designed to improve solar observations with advanced optics, adaptive systems, and high thermal conductivity mirrors, replacing an older telescope in Tenerife.

Contribution

It introduces a novel 1.5m open solar telescope with silicon-carbide mirrors and adaptive optics, enhancing solar observation capabilities.

Findings

High thermal conductivity silicon-carbide mirrors reduce local turbulence.

Adaptive optics system improves image quality.

First observations expected in 2008.

Abstract

GREGOR is a new open solar telescope with an aperture of 1.5m. It replaces the former 45-cm Gregory Coude telescope on the Canary island Tenerife. The optical concept is that of a double Gregory system. The main and the elliptical mirrors are made from a silicon-carbide material with high thermal conductivity. This is important to keep the mirrors on the ambient temperature avoiding local turbulence. GREGOR will be equipped with an adaptive optics system. The new telescope will be ready for operation in 2008. Post-focus instruments in the first stage will be a spectrograph for polarimetry in the near infrared and a 2-dimensional spectrometer based on Fabry-Perot interferometers for the visible.