Explanation:
This dramatic image of Jupiter is touted as the
sharpest picture
of the entire gas giant ever taken from the ground.
The picture was made using a prototype instrument known as
MAD (Multi-conjugate Adaptive optics Demonstrator)
mounted on one of the European Southern Observatory's 8-meter diameter
Very Large Telescope units in Chile.
Working at infrared
wavelengths the MAD instrument
removes atmospheric blurring, the bane
of earthbound telescopes,
by using multiple guide stars and deformable mirrors to sense and
correct for the distortions produced by turbulence in Earth's atmosphere.
Hydrogen and methane deep in
Jupiter's
own thick atmosphere
absorb light at infrared wavelengths.
So, this sharper view shows the infrared sunlight reflected
from the giant planet's high level haze
prominent in the equatorial regions
and near the poles.
It reveals features as small as 300 kilometers across.
The promising technique can also be applied to imaging other
extended objects like star clusters and nebulae.
Take a survey on
Aesthetics and Astronomy.
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