Palomar Observatory Adaptive Optics Astronomy Technology

Several of the telescopes at the Palomar Observatory have recently been fitted with an apparatus that allows them to use a technique called adaptive optics. Adaptive Optics is a process by which a mirror is used to adjust a reflected image thousands of times each second in order to remove the blurring caused by the Earth's atmosphere.

Using adaptive optics, it is possible for astronomers to remove much of the distortion caused by changes in the atmosphere, and enabling ground based telescopes to obtain far higher quality images than would otherwise be possible with standard telescopic optics. This is known as "resolving power" and adaptive optics give telescopes the ability to use more of this power than they would be able to use normally.

Images are obtained and recorded using PHARO, or the Palomar High Angular Resolution Observer. Adaptive optics are also being used at the Keck Next Generation Wavefront Processor and with the TMT thirty meter telescope.