ESO's Very Large Telescope now provides better images than the Hubble

European Southern Observatory's (ESO) Very Large Telescope (VLT) has a new adaptive optics mode, which now allows them to get better and sharper images than the Hubble!

www.eso.org...

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.

At the top of this post is their new image of Neptune, compare it with the Hubble's image:



Thing is, VLT is 4 times larger than the Hubble, but due to being located on earth it has to deal with lots of atmospheric turbulence, which makes space images blurry. Adaptive optics systems are a real game changer here, using artificial "laser guide stars" to compensate for those turbulences.

Compare the new image with the one taken without using the adaptive optics:



Wow, what a difference does it make!

To achieve this, the observatory blasts four powerful lasers into the sky, in order to create artificial stars and monitor how they're distorted by atmospheric turbulences:





Cool video:


www.youtube.com...

a reply to: wildespace

WoW that’s amazing that they achieved that with a ground based telescope! I can’t wait to see some other objects.

a reply to: Alien Abduct
They also published this comparison image of a star cluster:



Middle inset: without adaptive optics, inset on the right: with adaptive optics.


www.youtube.com...

a reply to: wildespace

To achieve this, the observatory blasts four powerful lasers into the sky, in order to create artificial stars and monitor how they're distorted by atmospheric turbulences:

Clever guys. It's wonderful what these scientists do and thank God they have the funding to push back the boundaries. The VLT could change our way of looking at the universe like the Hubble did. It was only recently when they published an image of a planet at the beginning of its life. I'm looking forward to the new images and their ingenious fine tuning.

a reply to: Kandinsky
I can't wait for when ESO's Extremely Large Telescope goes into service. It will have a primary mirror of nearly 40 meters in diameter (The Hubble's is only 2 m, and VLT's 8 m). It will already exceed Hubble's resolution, but with this new mode of adaptive optics, the results would be unimaginably better. Since this new mode practically removes any atmospheric influence, it would be like having a 40-meter space telescope!

a reply to: wildespace

Thanks for those extra tidbits, I am just stunned! I love this! That video is friggin jaw dropping it really puts it into perspective. Just fascinating S&F

a reply to: wildespace

It makes the mouth water, doesn't it? I was just reading around their achievements and wondering if they'll be doing any 'signs of life' searches? Imagine when the James Webb is fully active and something like this ELT in tandem? Will the ELT be used for similar pursuits?

a reply to: wildespace

Hubble's an old girl now so no surprise technology is passing her by , nice to see ESO making advancements in ground based technology and getting results that exceed space based options given the failure by NASA to get JWST off the ground.

+1 Europe.

originally posted by: Kandinsky
a reply to: wildespace

It makes the mouth water, doesn't it? I was just reading around their achievements and wondering if they'll be doing any 'signs of life' searches? Imagine when the James Webb is fully active and something like this ELT in tandem? Will the ELT be used for similar pursuits?

Both the Webb and ELT will be studying exoplanets and their properties. Whether that will help us in our search for "signs on life", I don't know. www.eso.org...

a reply to: wildespace

I saw the ESO have done work (years ago) analysing the composition of space within galaxies. It made me wonder if this new level of accuracy will aid the refraction of exoplanetary atmospheres for signs of life. Not just production of heavy metals associated with technology, but mainly for signals of Cambrian explosions and so forth. Yeah, I know these may well be very, very rare, but more likely than technologies.

Any/every technological world will have passed through some kind of atmospheric process towards being habitable. Based on our sample of one (lol), we can expect the process of oxygenating an atmosphere to occupy a larger period of time than developing technology or smelting metals. Looking for Goldilocks atmospheres could be a lot of fun.

a reply to: wildespace

There you have it. Everything is better with frickin laser beams.

originally posted by: moebius
a reply to: wildespace

There you have it. Everything is better with frickin laser beams.

Dr. Evil knows best.

a reply to: wildespace

Those are some very sexy images-i feel like playing some Barry White while slow dancing with my telescope.

a reply to: Kandinsky

It makes the mouth water, doesn't it?

It need to fire tesla ray to do that.

originally posted by: neo96
a reply to: Kandinsky

It makes the mouth water, doesn't it?

It need to fire tesla ray to do that.

Birds'll need goggles

a reply to: wildespace

Slight correction Hubble has a 2.4 mtr (8 foot) mirror.

s&f