A guiding light

These beams of light shooting towards the sky show the laser guide stars of the future Extremely Large Telescope (ELT). Like many other systems on the ELT, the multiple laser guide stars are vital to its operation, helping it adapt to the ever-changing atmospheric conditions above the telescope. This information is sent to the ELT’s M4 mirror which will adjust its shape to compensate for the distortion caused by atmospheric turbulence, allowing astronomers to observe finer details of much fainter astronomical objects than would otherwise be possible from the ground.

Credit:

ESO

About the Image

Id:ELT4k-9-Night1_cc
Type:Artwork
Release date:3 February 2021, 10:48
Size:4000 x 2000 px

About the Object

Name:Extremely Large Telescope
Type:Unspecified : Technology : Observatory : Telescope
Category:ELT

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