C. Bethge

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About

C. Bethge is a solar physicist whose work centers on the development and operation of robotic telescopes for high-cadence chromospheric observations. Her primary research area involves the design of autonomous instrumentation to study the Sun's dynamic lower atmosphere, with a particular focus on the chromosphere. Bethge’s major contribution is her leading role in the ChroTel project—the Chromospheric Telescope—a fully robotic 10 cm telescope at the Observatorio del Teide, Tenerife. She was instrumental in defining its control and data concept, enabling the system to operate without human intervention, from automated morning start-up to weather-dependent shutdown. This innovation allows for continuous, high-temporal-cadence full-disk imaging with a 2k × 2k CCD, producing critical data for understanding solar activity. Her foundational paper on ChroTel (2008) has accumulated 30 citations, reflecting its importance as a reference for robotic solar instrumentation. By creating a reliable, user-free observatory that runs predefined routines from sunrise to sunset, Bethge has advanced the field of automated solar monitoring, providing a model for future remote and robotic solar facilities.