Tag

Adaptive Optics

All articles tagged with #adaptive optics

science1 month ago•7 min saved

Tiny Deformable Mirrors Could Let NASA's Roman Telescope Image Earthlike Worlds

NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope will test a next-generation coronagraph using two palm-sized deformable mirrors and adaptive optics to block starlight and directly image exoplanets by reflected light; success could guide future Earth-like planet missions such as Habitable Worlds Observatory and Lazuli Space Observatory, though achieving the required level of light suppression remains a major engineering hurdle.

via WIRED|

#adaptive-optics #coronagraph #deformable-mirrors

space1 month ago•6 min saved

Triple-Lobed Nysa Reshapes Our View of How Planets Form

Astronomers using ESO’s Very Large Telescope and SHARK-VIS, with adaptive optics, reveal that asteroid 44 Nysa in the inner belt has a three-lobed structure connected by two necks—unlike the more common bilobed shapes—about 80 km across. Two formation scenarios are proposed: a single object heavily deformed by collisions or an assembly of three smaller bodies that merged. If confirmed, Nysa’s unusual form could offer new clues about asteroid and planetary formation and the early history of the solar system.

via Futura, le média qui explore le monde|

#adaptive-optics #asteroid #nysa

science2 months ago•13 min saved

The Crescent That Stays: How a 2017 Eclipse Marked One Woman’s Retina

A Staten Island woman looked at the 2017 eclipse without proper eye protection for about 20 seconds and soon developed a crescent-shaped blind spot in her vision. High-resolution retinal imaging then showed a matching crescent-shaped patch of photoreceptor loss, directly linking the sun’s crescent to the damage; solar retinopathy is caused by irreversible photoreceptor death with no available treatment, underscoring the dangers of viewing an eclipse unprotected.

via Space Daily|

#adaptive-optics #photoreceptors #retina

space3 months ago•1 min saved

ESO fires lasers to create artificial guide stars for sharper cosmic observations

The European Southern Observatory uses lasers on the Very Large Telescope Interferometer to create artificial guide stars ~90 km up, enabling adaptive optics that correct atmospheric blur and deliver sharper observations of the Tarantula Nebula as part of the GRAVITY+ upgrade.

via BBC Sky at Night Magazine|

#adaptive-optics #astronomy #gravity

technology4 months ago•7 min saved

2-Watt GEO Laser Achieves 1 Gbps Ground Link

A Chinese team demonstrated a 1 Gbps optical downlink from a geostationary satellite to a ground telescope using only 2 watts of transmitter power. By combining adaptive optics and mode-diversity reception, they recovered a usable signal despite atmospheric turbulence, showing that low-power GEO laser links can achieve high data rates and enable continuous, ground-connected space communications—though this remains a single demonstration with specialized ground infrastructure, not a commercial service.

via The Daily Galaxy|

#adaptive-optics #geostationary-orbit #ground-stations

astronomy5 months ago•4 min saved

Four Laser Beacons Sharpen Our View of the Cosmos from Earth

Astronomers use ESO's Very Large Telescope Interferometer to project four laser guide stars into the upper atmosphere, enabling adaptive optics that correct atmospheric distortion and produce crisper, space-like images from ground-based telescopes, including detailed studies of distant regions like the Tarantula Nebula.

via The Daily Galaxy|

#adaptive-optics #astronomy #eso

space5 months ago•70 min saved

Laser-guided stars sharpen Tarantula Nebula observations

ESO's Very Large Telescope Interferometer fires four lasers into the Tarantula Nebula to create artificial guide stars, helping compensate for Earth's atmosphere with adaptive optics and sharpen distant space images; the Tarantula Nebula sits about 160,000 light-years away in the Large Magellanic Cloud, and this highlights laser guide star technology as a growing tool in astronomy.

via Space|

#adaptive-optics #astronomy #space

space5 months ago•77 min saved

Giant Magellan Telescope's Grand Vision Hinges on Funding

The Giant Magellan Telescope (GMT) is entering its final design phase and seeks continued NSF federal funding plus more private donations to cover its roughly $2 billion cost. With seven 8.4-meter mirrors and advanced adaptive optics, GMT will aim to image habitable-zone exoplanets, map gas around distant galaxies, and push astronomy into the 2030s alongside ELT and TMT, contingent on securing the necessary funding and partnerships.

via Space|

#adaptive-optics #exoplanets #giant-magellan-telescope

technology6 months ago•7 min saved

Geostationary 2-Watt Laser Delivers 1Gbps Ground Link, Outpaces Starlink

Chinese researchers demonstrated a 1 Gbps optical downlink from a geostationary satellite about 36,000 km away using a 2-watt laser and a ground receiver built to correct atmospheric distortion, achieving higher speeds than Starlink and showing how adaptive optics plus multi-plane light conversion can recover usable data through turbulence.

via The Daily Galaxy|

#adaptive-optics #geostationary-orbit #laser

astronomy7 months ago•50 min saved

Artificial stars rise over Chile as VLT lasers power adaptive optics

Space.com highlights a European Southern Observatory photo showing the Milky Way over Chile’s Paranal Observatory while four Unit Telescopes of the Very Large Telescope fire lasers high in the atmosphere to create artificial guide stars. These glow-displays let adaptive optics systems correct for Earth’s atmospheric blur in real time, sharpening observations. The UTs Antu, Kueyen, Yepun and Melipal work together (Melipal’s laser use dates to 2016; the other three were added in December 2025 to support VLTI and GRAVITY+), showcasing the VLT’s capability to peer deeper into the universe as lasers illuminate the sky above Chile.

via Space|

#adaptive-optics #astronomy #lasers

science1 year ago•2 min saved

Innovative Mirror Deformation Enhances Adaptive Optics

The article discusses the development of a deformable mirror used in adaptive optics systems to correct atmospheric distortions in astronomy. It details the construction of the mirror with a quartz glass face, actuators made of copper wire coils and magnets, and the improvements made to increase control and precision, enabling high-resolution solar imaging.

via Hackaday|

#adaptive-optics #air-turbulence #astronomy

science1 year ago•8 min saved

Astronomers Capture First Photo of a Baby Planet in Formation

Astronomers have captured the first direct photo of a baby planet, WISPIT 2b, forming inside a dusty disk around a young star using advanced adaptive optics, providing new insights into planet formation and confirming that protoplanets can create gaps in protoplanetary disks.

via SciTechDaily|

#adaptive-optics #exoplanet #planet-formation

science1 year ago•5 min saved

Scientists Capture the Sharpest Images of the Sun's Corona

New high-resolution images of the Sun's corona, achieved through advanced adaptive optics technology, reveal unprecedented fine structures, potentially unlocking answers to longstanding questions like the coronal heating problem and solar eruptions. This breakthrough, led by the National Solar Observatory, enhances ground-based solar observation capabilities and promises to revolutionize solar physics research.

via ScienceAlert|

#adaptive-optics #coronal-rain #science

science1 year ago•4 min saved

Scientists Capture Unprecedented High-Resolution Images of the Sun's Corona and Sunspots

Scientists have achieved the sharpest-ever images of the sun's corona using advanced adaptive optics, revealing new features like delicate coronal rain, a rapidly forming plasma 'plasmoid', and dynamic solar prominences, which could help solve longstanding mysteries about solar heating and space weather phenomena.

via Space|

#adaptive-optics #corona #plasma

science1 year ago•6 min saved

Revolutionary Adaptive Optics Unveil Sun's Coronal Rain in Stunning Detail

New coronal adaptive optics technology has enabled unprecedented high-resolution images of the sun's corona, revealing fine structures, turbulent flows, and phenomena like coronal rain, which could lead to breakthroughs in understanding solar activity and space weather. The system, installed at the Big Bear Solar Observatory, corrects atmospheric turbulence, allowing for detailed observation of the sun's outer atmosphere and promising future applications at larger telescopes.

via Phys.org|

#adaptive-optics #science #solar-physics