ESOcast 172 Light: Supersharp Images from New VLT Adaptive Optics (4K UHD)

ESO’s Very Large Telescope (VLT) has achieved first light with a new adaptive optics mode called laser tomography — and has captured remarkably sharp test images of the planet Neptune, star clusters and other objects. The pioneering MUSE instrument in Narrow-Field Mode, working with the GALACSI adaptive optics module, can now use this new technique to correct for turbulence at different altitudes in the atmosphere. It is now possible to capture images from the ground at visible wavelengths that are sharper than those from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope. The combination of exquisite image sharpness and the spectroscopic capabilities of MUSE will enable astronomers to study the properties of astronomical objects in much greater detail than was possible before.

This ESOcast gives a taste of these remarkable results.

The video is available in 4K UHD.

The ESOcast Light is a series of short videos bringing you the wonders of the Universe in bite-sized pieces. The ESOcast Light episodes will not be replacing the standard, longer ESOcasts, but complement them with current astronomy news and images in ESO press releases.

Credit:

ESO

Directed by: Nico Bartmann.
Editing: Nico Bartmann.
Web and technical support: Mathias André and Raquel Yumi Shida.
Written by: Stephen Molyneux and Richard Hook.
Music: tonelabs (http://www.tonelabs.com).
Footage and photos: ESO, R. Bacon, P. Weilbacher (AIP), C. Malin (christophmalin.com), L. Calçada and MUSE consortium.
Executive producer: Lars Lindberg Christensen.

About the Video

Id:eso1824a
Release date:18 July 2018, 12:00
Related releases:eso1824
Duration:01 m 12 s
Frame rate:30 fps

About the Object

Name:Neptune
Type:Solar System : Planet
Category:ESOcast
Solar System

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