Solar activity and high-resolution solar physics

The Sun is a prototype of a star and here we have the advantage - due to its proximity - to study phenomena that occur on other stars in detail.

A prediction of the solar activity cycles from the behavior of the preceding cycles is extremely important for an estimate of space weather influences on satellite missions. We use different prediction models applying them on different datasets.
The observation of small spatial scaled phenomena on the Sun (such as Granulation, magnetic structures) requires telescopes with high spatial resolution and excellent observing conditions.  With the modern solar telescopes on the Canaries (VTT, GEGOR, SST) we can study details in the solar photosphere below 100 km; we can investigate the propagation of waves and magnetoacoustic disturbances to the higher solar atmosphere. This help to get a better understanding how these layers are heated up to several million degrees (in the case of the corona).
We also plan to participate in the European Solar telescope Project, EST.