Every time the sun lets off a solar flare, a massive wave of ions, electrons, gamma rays and other science-sounding stuff comes flying out with unimaginable energy.

A day or two later, it all hits our atmosphere, scattering around Earth’s magnetic field.

Sometimes, as in January, the impact of a flare is strong enough to make the Northern Lights visible to millions of people who don’t usually see them.

But every time there’s a solar flare, it has at least some effect on the invisible field of magnetic energy around our planet.

And that means it affects the signals from radio stations around the world.

Most of us will never notice these slightly different radio signals.

But a little home-made antenna in an empty room in the David Dunlap Observatory (DDO) in Richmond Hill picks them up.

The signals travel through a hand-built circuit board to a small home computer, set up to monitor radio stations from here to South America.

In other words, every time there’s a solar flare, this little set-up detects it.

Thornhill high school students built this thing from plastic tubing, wire, and electronic bits and bobs.

Not every teenager can say she or he built a working solar flare detector, but they can.

And the reason it was built (and works) is that volunteers from the Toronto Centre chapter of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada helped them do it.

They’ve also kept Canada’s largest optical telescope — the Observatory’s mind-blowing 23-ton, steam-punk behemoth — in operating condition.

In fact, the only reason ANYTHING at the David Dunlap Observatory is still working and useful is that these hardy volunteers put in countless hours of work.

The Observatory was built in the 1930’s in a patch of woods on Hillsview Avenue, off Bayview north of Highway 7, when the whole area was countryside.

After decades as the heart of Canadian astronomy, the facility was used by the University of Toronto as a training facility for its students, and for public education.

But the university sold the land, and the Observatory, to developers a few years back.

Ever since, the developers, local residents and the Town of Richmond Hill have been locked in a three-way contest over what happens to the site.

While the issue drags through the slow and lengthy process of the Ontario Municipal Board, the Observatory is in limbo.

Fortunately, those volunteers I mentioned were willing to step in.

For the past three years, they’ve maintained the huge telescope and observatory, as well as the beautifully ornate administration building.

The Toronto Centre fanatics have patched, repaired and preserved, even figuring out how to refinish the two-ton, two-metre telescope mirror. These true believers give up evenings and weekends to hold public lectures, tours and student activities.

More than 10,000 people have come from around the world, most of them for the free public viewings through the biggest volunteer-managed telescope in the world.

And, say the volunteers, that’s just the beginning.

They want to expand all their public activities and turn the DDO into a space science campus.

People, including school groups and science teachers, would learn about astronomy, optics, robotics, astro-photography and other cool science topics.

Their argument is that Canada is a great hockey nation because we encourage and support young players. If we want to be a great science nation, we have to put in the same kind of effort.

The volunteers are willing to raise the money and do all the work. All they need is the green light.

I’d say they’ve earned it.

(Check out the observatory at www.theDDO.ca)