Through the Atmosphere

Twinkling stars and adaptive optics

An interactive lesson with 6 steps, about 5 minutes: you predict, drag and solve, with instant feedback on every answer. It runs in your browser and needs JavaScript.

What you’ll learn

• Turbulent air blurs images by about 1″ (seeing) and makes stars twinkle.
• Without correction, mirrors beyond about 14 cm are seeing-limited.
• Adaptive optics and space telescopes beat the atmosphere.

Steps

1. Why stars twinkle
2. Where bigger stops helping
3. Adaptive optics
4. Telescopes in space
5. Why mountaintops?
6. Planets don’t twinkle