The VLT's Laser Guide Star Facility

In this timelapse video, we see the four lasers attached to Yepun, one of the four telescopes making up ESO's Very Large Telescope, beaming up high into the atmosphere. There they excite atoms of sodium, producing a bright spot known as an artificial star. Astronomers use this artificial star to track the turbulence in the atmosphere that causes images of celestial objects to become blurred. They then adjust a flexible mirror within the telescope's adaptive optics systems to compensate for the blurring and so produce much sharper images.

Crediti:

ESO/F. Kamphues

A proposito del video

Identificazione:eso1613b
Data di rilascio:Mercoledì 27 Aprile 2016 11:00
Notizie relative:eso1613
Durata:08 s
Frame rate:30 fps

Riguardo all'oggetto

Nome:Laser Guide Star, Very Large Telescope
Tipo:Unspecified : Technology : Observatory : Telescope
Categoria:Paranal

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