Laser trifft Blitz
Am Donnerstag, dem 18. August 2011, bot der Himmel über der Allgäuer Volkssternwarte Ottobeuren einen spektakulären Anblick: zwei gleichermaßen beeindruckende und doch sehr verschiedene Phänomene erhellten die Nacht. Eines davon war ein Beispiel für modernste Technologie, das andere für die ehrfurchtgebietende Kraft der Natur.
Während die ESO dort das neue Wendelstein-Laserleitsternsystem getestet hat, näherte sich eines der für diese Region typischen heftigen Sommergewitter der Sternwarte und demonstrierte eindrucksvoll, warum die Teleskope der ESO eigentlich in Chile und nicht in Deutschland stehen. Aus den dicken grauen Wolken zucken Blitze, während Martin Kornmesser – bei der ESO-Öffentlichkeitsarbeit zuständig für künstlerische Darstellungen – Zeitrafferaufnahmen des Lasertests für ESOcast 34 anfertigte. Das hier gezeigte Foto wurde zufällig genau in dem Moment aufgenommen, als ein Blitz die Szenerie erhellte. Obwohl das Gewitter noch weit entfernt war, scheint der Blitz fast wie in einem Science Fiction-Film mit dem Laserstrahl zu kollidieren.
Laserleitsterne sind künstliche Sterne, die in einer Höhe von 90 Kilometern in der Erdatmosphäre mit Hilfe starker Laserstrahlen erzeugt werden. Sie werden bei der sogenannten adaptiven Optik als Referenzobjekt verwendet, um die störenden Einflüsse der Erdatmosphäre bei astronomischen Beobachtungen zu korrigieren. Das Wendelstein-Laserleitsternsystem ist eine neuartige Konstruktion, bei der der Laser mit einem kleinen Teleskop zu einer modularen Anlage kombiniert wird, um den Laserstrahl in die Hochatmosphäre zu senden. Dieses System kann so auf größere Teleskope quasi aufgesattelt werden.
Der auf dem Foto sichtbare Laserstrahl ist mit einer Ausgangsleistung von 20 Watt bereits relativ stark, wobei die Energie gebündelt in Form von sehr kurzen Pulsen abgegeben wird. Für winzige Bruchteile einer Sekunde erreichen die Laserblitze so eine maximale Leistung von einer Billion Watt! Kurz nachdem das Bild aufgenommen wurde, erreichte das Gewitter das Observatorium und beendete so die Lasertests in dieser Nacht. Obwohl wir heute in der Lage sind, so fortschrittliche Technologien wie die Laserleitsterne zu entwickeln, müssen wir uns manchmal dennoch Naturgewalten wie dem Wetter beugen.
Links
Herkunftsnachweis:ESO/M. Kornmesser
Über das Bild
| ID: | potw1136a |
| Sprache: | de |
| Typ: | Fotografisch |
| Veröffentlichungsdatum: | 5. September 2011 10:15 |
| Größe: | 4134 x 2567 px |
Über das Objekt
| Name: | Allgäu Public Observatory |
| Typ: | Unspecified : Sky Phenomenon : Light Phenomenon : Lightning Unspecified : Technology : Observatory |
Mounted Image
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