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Credit & Copyright: European Southern Observatory / Gerhard Hudepohl
(atacamaphoto.com)
Explanation:
Dodging
powerful laser beams,
a drone captured this stunning aerial view.
The confrontation took place above the 8.2 meter diameter
Very Large Telescopes of the
Paranal Observatory on planet Earth.
Firing during a test of the observatory's 4 Laser Guide Star Facility,
the lasers are ultimately battling against
the blurring effect of
atmospheric turbulence by creating artificial guide stars.
The guide stars are actually emission from laser excited sodium atoms at
high altitudes within the
telescopic field of view.
Guide star image fluctuations are used in real-time to correct for
atmospheric blurring by controlling a deformable mirror in the
telescope's optical path.
Known as
adaptive optics,
the technique can produce images
at the diffraction limit of the telescope.
That's the same sharpness you would get if the
telescope were in space.
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NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: laser - adaptive optics
Publications with words: laser - adaptive optics
See also: