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What it is : The Gemini North scope
When it was publish : Feb. 7 , 2024
The Gemini North telescope’s yellow laser beam helps focus its adaptive optics system.
Where it is : The Gemini Observatory at the summit meeting of Mauna Kea in Hawaii
Why it ’s so extra : Stars twinkle — and that is n’t good if you require to study them using turgid telescopes . The blink of an eye comes from light passing through unlike layers of Earth ’s disruptive aura , which leads to a blurry , jumpy image in a scope . astronomer call this effect miserable " get word , " and it can cut off astronomy for many night — or , at least , it used to .
On theGemini Northtelescope , as on many modern primer coat - base scope , uranologist now use adaptative optics , which allows the telescope to correct for the distortions created by Earth ’s atmosphere . From the top of Gemini North , a yellow optical maser called TOPTICA is used to make an artificial star on traces of sodium petrol in the atmosphere about 50 miles ( 80 kilometers ) over Earth . Computers then strain the telescope ’s mirror slightly to right for any torture .
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That compounding of lasers and computing power enable ground - base telescopes to make observation at resolutions that equal , and sometimes outperform , powerful quad - based scope such as theHubble Space Telescopeand theJames Webb Space Telescope(JWST ) . With the blurring burden of Earth ’s atmosphere get the better of , the reason - based Gemini North can use its bombastic mirror to get high - resolution paradigm of maven , planet and galaxies . ( Gemini North ’s mirror is 26.6 feet , or 8.1 beat , in diameter , whereas JWST ’s is 21.3 feet , or 6.5 m. ) Astronomers desire these adaptive optic will grant ground - based scope to straight off imageexoplanets .
However , this photograph andan follow imagefrom a different angle are slenderly misleading . The orangeyTOPTICA laser point is n’t as bright to the bare eye ; it looks that way only because this is a long - exposure figure , as the star trails show .
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