A helioscope is an instrument used in observing the
Sun
The Sun is the star at the centre of the Solar System. It is a massive, nearly perfect sphere of hot plasma, heated to incandescence by nuclear fusion reactions in its core, radiating the energy from its surface mainly as visible light a ...
and
sunspots.
The helioscope was first used by
Benedetto Castelli
Benedetto Castelli (1578 – 9 April 1643), born Antonio Castelli, was an Italians, Italian mathematician. Benedetto was his name in religion on entering the Benedictine Order in 1595.
Life
Born in Brescia, Castelli studied at the University of ...
(1578–1643) and refined by
Galileo Galilei
Galileo di Vincenzo Bonaiuti de' Galilei (15 February 1564 – 8 January 1642), commonly referred to as Galileo Galilei ( , , ) or mononymously as Galileo, was an Italian astronomer, physicist and engineer, sometimes described as a poly ...
(1564–1642). The method involves projecting an image of the sun onto a white sheet of paper suspended in a darkened room with the use of a telescope.
The first ''machina helioscopica'' or helioscope was designed by
Christoph Scheiner
Christoph Scheiner (25 July 1573 (or 1575) – 18 June 1650) was a Jesuit priest, physicist and astronomer in Ingolstadt.
Biography Augsburg/Dillingen: 1591–1605
Scheiner was born in Markt Wald near Mindelheim in Swabia, earlier margravate Burg ...
(1575 –1650) to assist his
sunspot
Sunspots are temporary spots on the Sun's surface that are darker than the surrounding area. They are one of the most recognizable Solar phenomena and despite the fact that they are mostly visible in the solar photosphere they usually aff ...
observations.
[ (Latin)]
In the context of modern astroparticle physics, the term ''helioscope'' can also refer to an experiment that seeks to observe hypothetical particles (such as the
axion) produced inside the sun. Examples of such helioscope experiments searching for axions include the
CERN Axion Solar Telescope and
International Axion Observatory.
See also
*
Solar telescope
A solar telescope or a solar observatory is a special-purpose telescope used to observe the Sun. Solar telescopes usually detect light with wavelengths in, or not far outside, the visible spectrum. Obsolete names for Sun telescopes include helio ...
*
Heliometer
*
Spectroheliograph
The spectroheliograph is an instrument used in astronomy which captures a photography, photographic image of the Sun at a single wavelength of light, a monochromatic image. The wavelength is usually chosen to coincide with a optical spectrum, spec ...
*
Spectrohelioscope
References
Astronomical instruments
Telescope types
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