SETI public: Keck Observatory Milestone in Adaptive Optics

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KAMUELA, Hawaii (October 7 2003) A major milestone in astronomical history took place recently at the W.M. Keck Observatory when scientists, for the first time, used a laser to create an artificial guide star on the Keck II 10-meter telescope to correct the blurring of a star with adaptive optics (AO). Laser guide stars have been used on smaller telescopes, but this is their first successful use on the current generation of the world’s largest telescopes. The resulting image (Figure 1), captured by the NIRC2 infrared camera, was the first demonstration of a laser guide star adaptive optics (LGS AO) system on a large telescope. When complete, the LGS AO system will mark a new era of astronomy in which astronomers will be able to see virtually any object in the sky with the clarity of adaptive optics.

For the rest of the article, go here:

http://www2.keck.hawaii.edu/news/LGS_AO.html

• Previous message: Mike M.: "SETI public: Re: Jewish views of extraterrestrial life"

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