The Inouye Solar Telescope (IST) is a facility of the United States National Solar Observatory (NSO). It is located on Haleakalā, on the island of Maui in Hawaii. The IST was formerly known as the Advanced Technology Solar Telescope (ATST).
Construction of the telescope began in 2014 and it is expected to be completed in 2019. When operational, it will be one of the largest telescopes in the world dedicated to studying the Sun. The primary mirror of the IST will have a diameter of 4 meters (13 feet). This will make it about twice as large as any other existing solar telescope and enable it to collect about ten times more light than any current solar telescope.
The increased size and light-gathering power of the IST will allow for unprecedentedly high-resolution images of the Sun’s surface. These images will provide new insight into a variety of solar phenomena, including sunspots, flares, and coronal mass ejections. Additionally, scientists will use data from the IST to study how stars like our Sun change over time. By understanding these changes, we can better predict events that could impact life here on Earth, such as space weather storms.
The Inouye Solar Telescope is named after Senator Daniel K. Inouye who was instrumental in securing funding for its construction.