The Laser Guide Star of Paranal in operation

This spectacular image shows Yepun, the fourth 8.2-metre Unit Telescope of ESO’s Very Large Telescope (VLT) facility, launching a powerful yellow laser beam into the sky. The beam creates a glowing spot — an artificial star — in the Earth’s atmosphere by exciting a layer of sodium atoms at an altitude of 90 km. This Laser Guide Star (LGS) is part of the VLT’s adaptive optics system. The light coming back from the artificial star is used as a reference to control the deformable mirrors and remove the effects of atmospheric distortions, producing astronomical images almost as sharp as if the telescope were in space.

Crédit:

ESO

À propos de l'image

Identification:_d8a5601-cc
Type:Photographique
Date de publication:27 février 2013 22:51
Taille:7360 x 4912 px

À propos de l'objet

Nom:Laser Guide Star, Paranal, Very Large Telescope, VLT Unit Telescopes
Type:Unspecified : Technology : Observatory : Instrument
Unspecified : Technology : Observatory : Telescope
Catégorie:Paranal

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