Blocking light to get a sharper image.When it comes to getting the sharpest possible image of a heavenly object, the rule of thumb is, the bigger the telescope mirror, the better. However, some astronomers Famous astronomers and astrophysicists include: Directory: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z A
To examine the dusty environs of a large, bright star and its partner in unprecedented detail, the astronomers masked more than 95 percent of the mirror on the largest visible-light telescope in the world, the Keck v. i. 1. To heave or to retch, as in an effort to vomit. [ imp. & p. p. os> r>; p. pr. & vb. n. os> n. 1. An effort to vomit; queasiness. I Telescope atop Hawaii's Manna Kea kea, in zoology kea: see parrot. kea Large, stocky parrot (Nestor notabilis, subfamily Nestorinae) of New Zealand. It lives in mountain habitats and is known for its curious and playful character. . The hot, massive star, known as Wolf-Rayet 104, is about 3 times the size of the sun and about 25 times its mass. At 4,800 light-years from Earth, it lies too far away for conventional observation techniques to yield a sharp image. Instead, Peter G. Tuthill of the University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley is a public research university located in Berkeley, California, United States. Commonly referred to as UC Berkeley, Berkeley and Cal and his colleagues blocked most of the light from Keck I, creating 36 small, circular regions within the mirror--effectively 36 small telescopes. The light waves from the circles interfere with each other. Just as a collection of radio telescopes This is a list of radio telescopes that are or have been used for radio astronomy. It includes both single dishes and interferometer arrays. They are listed by region, then by name; unnamed telescopes are in reverse size order at the end of the lists. records intensity patterns arising from interference between signals reaching each detector, so the masked Keck telescope yields a pattern of light and dark bands. This technique dramatically reduces blurring from atmospheric turbulence. After reconstructing a near-infrared picture from the bands, the researchers found that a dusty spiral tail surrounds the star and its hot, though less massive, companion star. The tail poses a puzzle, because both stars radiate ra·di·ate v. 1. To spread out in all directions from a center. 2. To emit or be emitted as radiation. ra so much high-energy light that astronomers had expected dust grains to burn as soon as they formed. Tuthill and his Berkeley collaborators, William C. Danchi and John D. Monnier, suggest that a cocoon cocoon: see pupa. of cooled, compressed material forms in the region where the fierce winds from each star collide. This cocoon shields the dust, enabling it to survive. The spiral pattern results from the rotation of the two-star system as dust flows straight out from the center, like water spewing from a lawn sprinkler. The astronomers describe their work in the April 8 NATURE. |
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