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Lamplighter · 11-03-2015, 08:50 PM

Maybe you have seen pics of a lazer beam aimed into the sky at the Keck Observatory.

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The article describes that beam as activating the sodium atoms that are at the bottom of the trophosphere.

By measuring the distortion of that lazer beam, a correction factor is calculated and
applied to the flexible secondary mirrors in the telescope that are collecting the light image from the target star(s).

I can't say I really understand all that, but that seems to be the gist of it.

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11-03-2015, 08:50 PM	#10
Lamplighter Person who doesn't update the user title Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Bottom lands of the Missoula floods Posts: 6,402	Maybe you have seen pics of a lazer beam aimed into the sky at the Keck Observatory. The article describes that beam as activating the sodium atoms that are at the bottom of the trophosphere. By measuring the distortion of that lazer beam, a correction factor is calculated and applied to the flexible secondary mirrors in the telescope that are collecting the light image from the target star(s). I can't say I really understand all that, but that seems to be the gist of it. . Last edited by Lamplighter; 11-03-2015 at 08:55 PM.