The laser frequency comb in action

This picture illustrates part of a spectrum of a star obtained using the HARPS instrument on the ESO 3.6-metre telescope at the La Silla Observatory in Chile. The lines are the light from the star spread out in great detail into its component colours. The dark gaps in the lines are absorption features from different elements in the star. The regularly spaced bright spots just above the lines are the spectrum of the laser frequency comb that is used for comparison. The very stable nature and regular spacing of the frequency comb make it an ideal comparison, allowing the detection of minute shifts in the star’s spectrum that are induced by the motion of orbiting planets. Note that in this image, the colour range is for illustrative purposes only, as the real changes are much more subtle.

Credit:

ESO

Over de afbeelding

Id:ann12037a
Type:Observatie
Publicatiedatum:30 mei 2012 19:00
Gerelateerde mededelingen:ann12037
Grootte:1061 x 674 px

Over het object

Naam:HD75289, Spectrum
Type:Milky Way : Star
Afstand:95 lichtjaren
Categorie:Stars

Afbeeldingstypen

Grote JPEG
324,8 KB

Kleuren & filters

BandTelescoop
ESO 3.6-metre telescope
HARPS