Java
06-15-2010, 09:08 PM
From: http://medusa.as.arizona.edu/lbto//AO/AOpressrelease.htm
LBT Achieves Breakthrough with Adaptive Optics
New Technology Brings Space Telescope Image Quality Down to Earth,
Offering Astronomical Image Clarity Never Seen Before
(Tucson, Ariz.) -- The next generation of adaptive optics has arrived at the Large Binocular Telescope (LBT) in Arizona, providing astronomers with a new level of image sharpness never before seen. Developed in a collaboration between Italy's Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica (INAF) and the University of Arizona's Steward Observatory. Until relatively recently, ground-based telescopes had to live with wavefront distortion caused by the Earth's atmosphere that significantly blurred the images of distant objects (this is why stars appear to twinkle to the human eye). While there have been advancements in adaptive optics technology to correct atmospheric blurring, the LBT's innovative system truly takes this concept to a whole new level.The full text of the press release and the image files are quite astounding indeed -- a stunning acomplishment!
I am beginning to believe that once a few more of these systems are installed (another one on the other side of the LBT) and upon other telescopes across the planet on both hemispheres this may easily push the Hubble Space Telescope into becoming obsolete as for image quality although its availability to be aimed at will in any direction for viewing will still be its redeeming quality.
Hmmm... in fact, if enough of these systems are installed on telescopes across the planet and connected together through a digital infrastructure into a grid to become in effect a Very Very Large Telescope as opposed to the ESO's VLT it would not be too surprising if such a grid of these telescopes could one day produce an image of one of the Mars Rovers sitting upon the surface of Mars as viewed from Earth albeit it may be a bit fuzzy as the lag time for light coming from Mars would prevent further use of secondary adaptive optics upon the Marsian atmosphere too. Nevertheless I am amazed.
LBT Achieves Breakthrough with Adaptive Optics
New Technology Brings Space Telescope Image Quality Down to Earth,
Offering Astronomical Image Clarity Never Seen Before
(Tucson, Ariz.) -- The next generation of adaptive optics has arrived at the Large Binocular Telescope (LBT) in Arizona, providing astronomers with a new level of image sharpness never before seen. Developed in a collaboration between Italy's Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica (INAF) and the University of Arizona's Steward Observatory. Until relatively recently, ground-based telescopes had to live with wavefront distortion caused by the Earth's atmosphere that significantly blurred the images of distant objects (this is why stars appear to twinkle to the human eye). While there have been advancements in adaptive optics technology to correct atmospheric blurring, the LBT's innovative system truly takes this concept to a whole new level.The full text of the press release and the image files are quite astounding indeed -- a stunning acomplishment!
I am beginning to believe that once a few more of these systems are installed (another one on the other side of the LBT) and upon other telescopes across the planet on both hemispheres this may easily push the Hubble Space Telescope into becoming obsolete as for image quality although its availability to be aimed at will in any direction for viewing will still be its redeeming quality.
Hmmm... in fact, if enough of these systems are installed on telescopes across the planet and connected together through a digital infrastructure into a grid to become in effect a Very Very Large Telescope as opposed to the ESO's VLT it would not be too surprising if such a grid of these telescopes could one day produce an image of one of the Mars Rovers sitting upon the surface of Mars as viewed from Earth albeit it may be a bit fuzzy as the lag time for light coming from Mars would prevent further use of secondary adaptive optics upon the Marsian atmosphere too. Nevertheless I am amazed.