Making the Atmosphere Disappear. The Power of Adaptive Optics
The Earth’s atmosphere keeps us safe from the harsh environment of space, but it also obscures our view into the cosmos. No matter how powerful a telescope you build, the turbulence of the atmosphere limits your resolution.
But astronomers and engineers have an amazing technology that allows a telescope to peer into space as if the atmosphere isn’t even there, producing images from here on the ground which are as sharp and clear as if the telescope was out in space.
It’s called adaptive optics, and we’re now at the point where the most powerful ground-based telescopes have matched and even exceeded the capability of space telescopes.
Watch the video here:
Just a head's up, we're going to have the much requested Robert Zubrin, founder of the Mars Society on Open Space on Monday to answer your questions about colonizing Mars. Here's a link to the live event.
Comments (4)
Great explanation of this technology Fraser! I’ve had trouble understanding this up until now, but this video has helped me get a deeper understanding of the process they are using to do this. Thanks mate!
Thanks a lot, I'm glad you enjoyed it. This new photo of Neptune from the Narrow Field MUSE instrument pushed me to do an episode about the technology.
? Fraser, in regards to your PSP article in the Newsletter: What kind of centrifugal and/or centripetal forces will the probe encounter as it whips around the sun and Venus at over 400,000 mph? And will it be able to do any science regarding Venus since it will be in the vicinity?
It won't be that bad, the curve that it's taking around the Sun is pretty enormous still.