Scientists from the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) National Solar Observatory (NSO) and New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) used groundbreaking adaptive optics to capture sharpest ever photos and videos of the Sun’s corona, the outermost layer of its atmosphere.
The incredible new research was published this week in Nature Astronomy and explains how the team of scientists developed a novel coronal adaptive optics system to counteract the turbulent air in Earth’s atmosphere to observe the Sun’s corona better.
The new adaptive optics system, “Cona,” corrects for air turbulence in the air’s atmosphere by constantly changing its shape.
However, this new research marks the first time that adaptive optics have been instrumental in enhancing studies of the corona.
A vital part of understanding the Sun is to have high-resolution images, and thanks to the latest advancements in adaptive optics, scientists can work with the most detailed coronal images yet.
Researchers from the U.S. A. With the use of innovative adaptive optics, the National Science Foundation (NSF), National Solar Observatory (NSO), and New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) were able to take the sharpest images and videos of the Sun’s corona, the outermost layer of its atmosphere, to date.
The amazing new study, which was published this week in Nature Astronomy, describes how the group of researchers created a unique coronal adaptive optics system to counteract the turbulent air in Earth’s atmosphere and improve observations of the Sun’s corona. Images of the Sun and its atmosphere are distorted and blurry due to atmospheric conditions that have hampered solar observations.
“Cona,” the new adaptive optics system, continuously modifies its shape to account for air turbulence in the atmosphere. The apparatus was set up at the 1 point 6 meter Goode Solar Telescope (GST) at Big Bear Solar Observatory (BBSO) in California, which is run by NJIT’s Center for Solar-Terrestrial Research (CSTR). According to a news release, this mirror “continuously reshapes itself 2,200 times per second to counteract the image degradation caused by turbulent air.”.
According to BBSO Optical Engineer and Chief Observer Nicolas Gorceix, “adaptive optics is like a pumped-up autofocus and optical image stabilization in your smartphone camera, but correcting for the errors in the atmosphere rather than the user’s shaky hands.”.
Adaptive optics has previously been employed in solar telescopes. Throughout the last few decades, they have significantly enhanced observations and research on the Sun’s surface. But for the first time, adaptive optics has been used to improve corona research using this new study.
The NSO Chief Technologist, Thomas Rimmele, who constructed the first adaptive optics for observing the Sun’s surface and spearheaded the development of the new optics, says, “The new coronal adaptive optics system closes this decades-old gap and delivers images of coronal features at 63 kilometers resolution — the theoretical limit of the 1.6-meter Goode Solar Telescope.”.
Researchers believe that the structure and dynamics of the corona affect space weather, which affects Earth’s communications and technology systems, making it a vital area of study. The most recent developments in adaptive optics have made it possible for scientists to work with the most detailed coronal images yet, which is essential for comprehending the Sun.
