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The Planet Neptune with Adaptive Optics
Caption:
Neptune observed in the near infrared (1.65 microns) with adaptive optics (AO) (left) and without AO (right). Neptune is the outermost of the giant planets in our solar system and it has the most dynamic and rapidly changing weather patterns. This near-infrared image is primarily sensitive to such high-altitude clouds, which appear bright against the darker disk. Adaptive optics allows ground-based telescopes to monitor Neptune's evolving weather systems and to use spectroscopy to probe different altitudes in its poorly understood atmosphere.
This research was conducted at the Center for Adaptive Optics (CfAO) at the University of California Santa Cruz, a National Science Foundation-supported Science and Technology Center. The center researches AO in the fields of vision science and astronomy to remove the effects of image blurring through turbulent media. Applications include astronomical telescopes, laser guide stars, wavefront sensing, MEMS technology, and retinal imaging.
(Preview Only)
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| Credit: |
Credit Center for Adaptive Optics, UCSC |
| Decade of Image: |
2000 - 2009 |
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Categories:
ASTRONOMY / Optical
Formats Available:
TIFF Format - 277K - 219 x 431 pixel image - 72 DPI
Sorry! This image is not available in a higher resolution format.
Restrictions:
No additional restrictions--beyond NSF's general restrictions--have been placed on this image. For a list of general restrictions that apply to this and all images in the NSF Image Library, see the section "Conditions".
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