Kitt Peak Observatory Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory NOAO System Science Center
NOAO/AURA/NSF
A Better View with Adaptive Optics into the Heart of a Globular Cluster
This image of Globular cluster NGC 6496, observed with the SOAR Adaptive Module (SAM), is about 3 arc minutes across. The enlarged sections of the cluster show the image with SOAR adaptive optics (AO) on and off, demonstrating the significant difference that sharp stellar images can make in our understanding of the properties of stars.
The typical FWHM of stellar images in Closed Loop (SAM On) and Open Loop (SAM Off) condition (averaged over the field):
| Filter | FWHM | |
|---|---|---|
| Closed Loop | Open Loop | |
| B | 0.48" | 0.59" |
| V | 0.43" | 0.66" |
| R | 0.32" | 0.54" |
| I | 0.31" | 0.50" |
Read more in NOAO Press Release 13-04 and the Astronomical Journal.
The NSF has awarded a cooperative agreement to the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) Observatory Corporation. NOAO will play an important role in the process.
CTIO 50 years meeting
Fifty years of wide field studies in the Southern Hemisphere
La Serena, Chile, May 06-09, 2013
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