ESO's new compact laser guide star unit tested

Last night, ESO's Wendelstein laser guide star unit had its first light at the Allgäu Public Observatory in Ottobeuren, Germany. Laser guide stars are artificial stars created high up in the Earth's atmosphere using a laser beam with a power of several watts. The laser, in this case a powerful 20 watt yellow beam (operating at 589 nm), makes the sodium atoms in a layer 90 kilometres up in the atmosphere glow and so creates an artificial star in the sky that can be observed by a telescope. The adaptive optics equipment can then use measurements of the artificial star to correct for the blurring effect of the atmosphere in the observations.

Here the launch telescope is seen together with the propagating laser beam.

Crediti:

ESO/T. Kasper (AVSO)

A proposito dell'immagine

Identificazione:ann11039d
Tipo:Fotografico
Data di pubblicazione:Mercoledì 22 Giugno 2011 12:30
Annunci al proposito:ann11039
Dimensione:4368 x 2912 px

A proposito delll'oggetto

Nome:Laser Guide Star
Tipo:Unspecified : Technology : Observatory : Facility
Categoria:Paranal

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