Image: Second adaptive thin shell mirror delivered to ESO

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Description: A second shell mirror of remarkable quality has been delivered to ESO by Safran–Reosc. This is an improved version of an earlier shell mirror delivered in late 2011. Both mirrors are a mere 2 millimetres thin but 1.12 metres in diameter, and will be crucial for the upgrade of Unit Telescope 4 of ESO’s Very Large Telescope (VLT) to a fully adaptive system. A thin shell mirror is deformed several thousand times per second to compensate for turbulence in the Earth’s atmosphere. The result is a much sharper image, allowing astronomers to study the Universe in greater detail than possible before.
Title: Second adaptive thin shell mirror delivered to ESO
Credit: http://www.eso.org/public/images/ann14010a/
Author: ESO
Usage Terms: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0
License: CC BY 4.0
License Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Attribution Required?: Yes

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Adaptive optics

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