Latest Laser guide star Stories

redOrbit Staff & Wire Reports - Your Universe Online Researchers at the Gemini Observatory in Chile are touting a new instrument that they claim will allow astronomers to “study the universe with an unprecedented level of clarity and detail.” The system is called GeMS, and it is an advanced adaptive optics system that has been installed on the Gemini South telescope. According to a statement released by representatives of the facility on Wednesday, it is the first...

Physicists propose beaming laser at atmospheric sodium to measure global magnetic fieldMapping the Earth's magnetic field "“ to find oil, track storms or probe the planet's interior "“ typically requires expensive satellites.University of California, Berkeley, physicists have now come up with a much cheaper way to measure the Earth's magnetic field using only a ground-based laser.The method involves exciting sodium atoms in a layer 90 kilometers above the surface and measuring the light...

Laser Guide Star System on ESO's VLT Starts Regular Science OperationsAn artificial, laser-fed star now shines regularly over the sky of Paranal, home of ESO's Very Large Telescope, one of the world's most advanced large ground-based telescopes. This system provides assistance for the adaptive optics instruments on the VLT and so allows astronomers to obtain images free from the blurring effect of the atmosphere, regardless of the brightness and the location on the sky of the observed target....

First Light for the VLT Laser Guide Star Facility ESO -- Scientists celebrate another major milestone at Cerro Paranal in Chile, home of ESO's Very Large Telescope array. Thanks to their dedicated efforts, they were able to create the first artificial star in the Southern Hemisphere, allowing astronomers to study the Universe in the finest detail. This artificial laser guide star makes it possible to apply adaptive optics systems, that counteract the blurring effect of the atmosphere, almost...