Adaptive Optics is a technique to compensate quickly varying optical aberrations in an #optical system ðŸ”. A limitation is that the correction is only valid in a very small patch of sky 🌌. Multi-Conjugate Adaptive Optics, or #MCAO uses several guide stars ✨ to measure the light wave aberrations in several directions. The corrected field of view is enlarged by a factor of 10 to 20 to obtain the most uniform output image quality https://mavis-ao.org/mavis/
#adaptiveoptics
The MAVIS project is looking for a project manager to fill the Consortium Manager role: https://jobs.anu.edu.au/jobs/mavis-consortium-manager-canberra-act-act-australia-98c6641a-079d-40b2-87f4-be5f05288257
If managing scientific/engineering projects is your thing maybe you can come help us finish building this awesome astronomical instrument: https://mavis-ao.org/
#Astronomy #Astrodon #MAVIS #MAVISao #AdaptiveOptics #AstroJobs
Building and Testing Deformable Mirrors for Adaptive Optics
Atmospheric turbulence can severely distort incoming light for astronomers, making accurate observations challenging. To counteract this, adaptive optics systems are employed, which use deformable mirrors that can change shape in real time. In a recent demonstration by Huygens Optics, a deformable m... [More info]
#news | Adaptive optics for astronomical measurements ðŸ”
Fraunhofer IOF is working with the Thuringia State Observatory in Tautenburg to develop a compact module with #adaptiveoptics. The new #FREEFIB research group is developing a system that can precisely couple starlight or laser light into an optical waveguide, even in small telescopes. 👉 A key technology for optical communication and modern telescoping – compact and cost-efficient.
Find out more here: https://lnkd.in/efKJ_mCU
New Adaptive Optics Shows Details of Our Star's Atmosphere
https://nso.edu/press-release/new-adaptive-optics-shows-stunning-details-of-our-stars-atmosphere/
#HackerNews #AdaptiveOptics #StarAtmosphere #Astronomy #ScienceNews #SolarResearch
Scientists Capture Sharpest Images Ever of Sun’s Corona https://petapixel.com/2025/05/30/scientists-capture-sharpest-images-ever-of-suns-corona/ #adaptiveoptics #spaceweather #telescope #science #corona #Space #solar #space #News #nsf #sun
Observations of fine coronal structures with high-order solar adaptive optics: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41550-025-02564-0 -> New #AdaptiveOptics shows stunning details of our star’s atmosphere: https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1085173
While I'm dreaming about having MAVIS on the telescope, here's something rather more fanciful. MAVIS will consist of an adaptive optics system (to correct for the blurring effects of the atmosphere) plus two instruments, an imager and a spectrograph, but it's being designed with space for a 3rd instrument be added later. So... what if you put an eyepiece there?
Normally putting an eyepiece on a giant research telescope like the VLT would not work at all well because it's optically impossible to produce a magnification and exit pupil size that are suitable for viewing with a human eye. But if you've got an adaptive optics system on the telescope delivering diffraction limited images then that completely changes!
A quick search for really big eyepieces turned up this, and it actually would be almost perfect: https://www.explorescientific.com/products/100-30mm
At the 3rd instrument f/35 focus the 30 mm focal length would give a visual magnification of 9333x. The 52.2 mm diameter field stop would give a max on-sky field of view of 39 arcseconds diameter, which matches well with the 30 x 30 arcseconds field of view of MAVIS. With f/35 input the exit pupil of the eyepiece would be 0.86 mm diameter, so it would be easy to get all of the light from MAVIS into a dark adapted human eye with a ~7 mm diameter pupil. Maximum resolving power of the human eye is about half an arcmminute, and with the 9333x magnification that would correspond to about 3 milliarcsecond on sky, about 4 times better then the resolution of the images delivered by MAVIS. In practice that's a pretty good match, the image wouldn't look significantly over-magnified and blurry.
Because of the slow focal ratio/small exit pupil the visual surface brightness would be low so it would be rubbish for looking at nebulae or galaxies, but I bet planets would look amazing!
While pointing MAVIS at Jupiter and Saturn would produce the most spectacular images, MAVIS observations of the ice giants Uranus & Neptune may be more significant.
This image is about as good as the Hubble Space Telescope's views of Neptune got: https://esahubble.org/images/opo2059a/. Higher resolution images have been obtained with ground based telescopes and adaptive optics, but they've been at longer wavelengths (infrared) which reduces resolution. With adaptive optics at visible wavelengths on an 8 metre telescope MAVIS should provide the sharpest views of Uranus and Neptune since Voyager 2 flew by them in 1986 and 1989.
Those Voyager 2 flybys happened during my formative years and were a big part of what got me interested in space, so observing Uranus and Neptune with MAVIS would be significant to me personally, too.
I've been getting myself excited about getting the MAVIS instrument (https://mavis-ao.org/) on the telescope, even though that's still ~3 years off.
I was looking at this gorgeous image of Jupiter taken by the Hubble Space Telescope (https://esahubble.org/images/heic2017a/) and realising that MAVIS could do this with significantly higher resolution. Thanks to being on an 8 metre rather than 2.4 metre telescope MAVIS will have 3.3x the resolving power of HST, and the pixel sampling will be 5.4x finer (7.36 mas vs 40 mas).
I'm just looking at this 400% zoom crop and imagining a MAVIS image that's pin-sharp at the same magnification.
#AdaptiveOptics (AO) was developed to wipe out atmospheric aberrations from astronomical observations. The same technique is now being used in #microscopy to illuminate biological specimens.
Inviting all #biomedical #optical #imaging submissions for POM! A unique, free, interactive platform for #photonics researchers. Great exposure across continents. 🌎 Submit at https://t.co/cMuS70YeEm. Abstract deadline: July 27. Conference: Nov 13-14. Join us! #POM2023 #Fluorescence #AdaptiveOptics #Photoacoustic #Photothermal #Raman #Brillouin #Holography #OCT #DOT
Scientists have developed a two-photon fluorescence microscope coupled with #AdaptiveOptics, allowing in vivo #imaging of the mouse retinal structure and function. #Neuroscience https://elifesciences.org/articles/84853?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=organic
The Proper Astronomers are probably more excited about other targets but personally I can't wait to point this thing at the giant planets.
We're actually obliged to take images of Jupiter and/or Saturn during commissioning in order to demonstrate the required ability to use multiple non-sidereal natural guide stars, and that's going to produce some awesome images. As my colleague David Brodrick pointed out Uranus and Neptune may be even more exciting, though. At 7.36 milliarcseconds per pixel MAVIS would deliver the highest resolution views of those planets since Voyager 2.
Researchers of @ErasmusMC (a.o. @daniloajesus) aim to improve retina imaging for people with genetic retina disease. A new technology, apaptive optics, allows for earlier detection and improved monitoring of changes in the retina. #AOVision #adaptiveoptics
https://amazingerasmusmc.nl/oog/nieuwe-techniek-brengt-netvlies-cel-voor-cel-in-beeld/#:~:text=Met%20adaptieve%20optiek%20(AO)%2C,van%20pati%C3%ABnten%20levend%20worden%20bekeken
a beautiful highlight of the microscopy by the Prevedel Lab: imaging 1.5mm into the brain #3Pmicroscopy #adaptiveoptics
Welcome to join our symposium on Jan 26 on adaptive optics for retinal imaging in inherited retinal diseases - organized by the AO-Vision team @ErasmusMC (a.o. @daniloajesus). Registration + info:
https://bit.ly/3GGJG1q
#adaptiveoptics #ophthalmology #retinalimaging #research
#introduction continued...
eyetracking infants during visual statistical learning tasks, and conducting some of the early "babycam" work putting head-mounted cameras on babies. 🥰
I also worked a bit with David Williams using #adaptiveOptics to try to get retinal images of infants (unsuccessfully)
I then worked as a tech support rep for ASL Eyetracking, and a (neuro)marketing researcher for Innerscope.
(I won't bore with details of the more recent non-academic bits of my career.)
/fin
Client Info
Server: https://mastodon.social
Version: 2025.07
Repository: https://github.com/cyevgeniy/lmst