About the institute
The Institute for Solar Physics is a national research infrastructure under the Swedish Research Council. It is managed as an independent institute associated with Stockholm University through its Department of Astronomy.
Whole solar disk to show sunspot group size. The diameter of the Sun is !00 times lager than the diameter of the Earth. The image was recorded with SST on the 15 July 2002.
The institute is located in AlbaNova University Center, close to the main campuses of Stockholm University and the Royal Institute of Technology (KTH).
Research
The Sun is the nearest star to us, and compared to other stars, can be studied in great detail. The research is a mix of theory and observations. For the observations, extensive use is made of the Swedish Solar Telescope on La Palma. The studies focus on the structure of sun spots, small-scale magnetic fields, spectral line formation and the chromosphere.
Scientific Data – Solar data sets from SST and SVST
Here we make available data sets from the Swedish 1-m Solar Telescope (SST, 97 cm, 2002-) and the Swedish Vacuum Solar Telescope (SVST, 47.5 cm, 1985-2000). These data are open for download for anyone. Please see our documentations Wiki for notes about the different file formats used for our 2002 and older data.
Publications database
On this page we list publications that are based on SVST/SST data, describe instrument development for the SVST/SST, involve data from the Swedish Stellar 0.6 m Telescope, or are (co-)authored by members of the Institute for Solar Physics staff:
Gallery
The images and movies found in our gallery are free for publication provided that proper credits are given. Unless explicitly stated otherwise, all images were observed with the Swedish 1-m Solar Telescope (SST).
High resolution granulation. Observer: Vasco Henriques. Image processing: Vasco Henriques.
Please credit the telescope and the Institute for Solar Physics as well as the observers for the individual images. Observers come from our own staff as well as from many visiting groups.
History
The Institute was first established as The Research Station for Astrophysics in 1951 on the island of Capri, Italy, by the late professor Yngve Öhman. Around 1980 the station moved to La Palma in the Canary Islands. Reconstruction was made possible by large donations from Mrs. Margareta Dahlberg and the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation. The new station is situated within the Spanish-International Observatory on the Roque de los Muchachos.
The Swedish 1-m Solar Telescope
The solar telescope is located at the Roque de los Muchachos Observatory on the island of La Palma, Spain. Photo: Dan Kiselman
The SVST has been replaced with the Swedish 1-m Solar Telescope (SST), which has twice as large aperture.
Find us
The institute is located in AlbaNova University Center, close to the main campuses of Stockholm University and the Royal Institute of Technology (KTH). AlbaNova University Center is Stockholm's center for physics, astronomy and biotechnology for Stockholm University and KTH.
Getting to the Institute for Solar Physics
Visiting address: Roslagstullsbacken 21, Stockholm.
By car
The recommended route for goods deliveries and visitors with cars is from the north. The northern side of AlbaNova is reached via Ruddammsvägen. Please note that Björnnäsvägen is closed.
AlbaNova can also be reached from the south via Körsbärsvägen or Roslagstullsbacken. Note, however, that special permission is required to bring vehicles to the south campus area.
By bus
Bus 61 stops at Ruddammen, close to the main entrance of AlbaNova. Bus 50 stops at Ingemarsgatan, about 5 minutes walking distance from the main entrance of AlbaNova.
See Stockholms länstrafik for time tables
By Metro
The closest metro station is Tekniska högskolan. From the exit marked Körsbärsvägen, you may take bus 61 directly to AlbaNova. To walk to AlbaNova, take the exit marked Körsbärsvägen.
Last updated: 2025-10-16
Source: Institute for Solar Physics