Yepun's lasers ignore the clouds

As the clouds rush by 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 through the clouds and 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.

Crédit:

ESO/F. Kamphues

À propos de la vidéo

Identification:eso1613c
Date de publication:27 avril 2016 11:00
Communiqués de presse en rapport:eso1613
Durée:10 s
Frame rate:30 fps

À propos de l'objet

Nom:Laser Guide Star, VLT Unit Telescopes
Type:Unspecified : Technology : Observatory : Telescope
Catégorie:Paranal

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