Solar Adaptive Optics Project Smoothing out the wrinkles in our
view of the Sun Solar scientists face the same challenge as
night-time astronomers when observing from the ground: Earth's
atmosphere blurs the view. Astronomers speak of being "seeing
limited," or restricted to what atmospheric turbulence allows.
The turbulence acts as a flexible lens, constantly reshaping
what we are studying, and putting many of the answers about
solar activity just beyond our reach. Sample images with AO off
(left) and on (center). In the original, each frame covers an
area 45x45 arc-sec and was taken at 550 nm wavelength (10 nm
interference filter) using the Baja Technology camera in April
2003. The relative size of Earth and a 1 arc-sec square are
superimposed in the last frame. Bigger telescopes can see
fainter objects but with no more detail than mid-size
telescopes. The closeness and brightness of the Sun make no
difference: sunlight passes through the same atmosphere (usually
more disturbed because the Sun heats the gro