Solar Astronomy

The drive for deeper understanding of the world around us as well as protecting our commercial interests is driving much of the growth in Solar Astronomy. Magnetic storms and their potential for causing rolling blackouts and damage to communications infrastructure means that understanding our local space weather is more important than ever. Records of solar activity date back to before 1300BC and characterisation of our closest star, the sun, is yielding ever more understanding of how stars function.  High cadence / low noise cameras are an essential element of ground-based solar astronomical imaging.