Sunriver Nature Center & Observatory Unveils New Solar Telescope
Cami Porter
SUNRIVER, Ore. (KTVZ) — There’s a different way to take advantage of the nice weather this weekend: by going to the observatory.
The Sunriver Observatory is not just open at night. During the day, it offers solar observations where employees outfit telescopes with different filters, making it safe to look directly at the sun.
Today, the observatory debuted a new telescope equipped with a calcium filter, allowing visitors to see different layers of the sun.
Alex Yager, a science interpreter at the Sunriver Nature Center & Observatory, explained the new feature.
“It’s one that can be a little bit challenging,” Yager said. “So some people have a harder time seeing it. It’s right on the border of visible light, right before it gets to UV light. So that shows the upper layer of what’s called the chromosphere. It’s above the surface of the sun. The coolest thing we can see is probably hydrogen clouds that are suspended above the sun.”
The observatory has also started selling tickets for a special event happening on November 20th, from 5:30PM to 7PM. It will host a seminar called “Twilight Talk: How Far Is That, and How Do You Know?” on the “Cosmic Distance Ladder,” which explains how distances are measured in space. You can find more information on their website.