The initial instrumentation enabled us to record only the most powerful manifestations of solar activity: active regions, and
flares. The lack of the necessary computer and
receiver technologies dictated the particular technique of formation of the beam and the principle of operation of the SSRT.
Progress was achieved by resolving the
problems of phasing the 128-element equidistant antenna arrays of long electrical length (1.2x104 wavelengths), synchronous tracking of the Sun throughout the daytime in climatic conditions of Siberia,
recording the radio brightness distribution of the
solar corona, generating solar radio images, and automating the operation and controlling all systems of the
territorially distributed SSRT complex.
The successful phasing of such multi-element antenna arrays added in creating, in 1992, the 17 GHz radioheliograph at Nobeyama Observatory (Japan). The creation of the SSRT signified the advent in
Russia of systematic radioheliography and a meaningful
breakthrough in solar radio astronomy. In addition to the SSRT, the ISTP operates another two large
astrophysical observatories (the high-altitude
observatory in the Sayan mountains, and the observatory on Lake Baikal’s shore) for solar research in
the optical range [3]. The infrared
telescope is under development; it is designed for solar corona observation in the light of the line of He10830 A. Together with the
SSRT, they constitute a large
astrophysical complex in East Siberia. The ISTP enjoys one of the leading scientific schools of Russia in the field of research on solar activity and solar-terrestrial connections; a wealth of experience on
scientific instrument making has been
accumulated.