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First light images emerge from Gemini Planet Imager
- colkassad 13y agoIncredible image for an Earth-based telescope. I wonder what we could get from space?
- ngoldbaum 13y agoIt would probably be worse from space, actually. This was imaged at the diffraction limit of the telescope (~λ/D where D is the diameter of the mirror) and Gemini has an 8-meter mirror. We're not going to put an 8-meter IR telescope in space for a long time. Even JWST is only 4 meters.
- merkitt 13y agoIs visible light interferometry possible with multiple small reflectors in orbit?
- iwwr 13y agoIt is, but the limit is your ability to cram it all that in a single rocket. It's why the James Webb needs foldable mirrors (JWST is made of small mirrors stuck together basically). There have been a few proposals for in-space interferometers, but budgeting shot them down for the most part. In hindsight they may have been cheaper given the ballooning costs of JWST.
- colkassad 13y agoThat's very interesting, didn't know that. Thanks.
- rpedela 13y agoTruly awesome! I am curious what part of the light spectrum did they use to take the picture? If it was said in the article then I missed it.
- ckarmann 13y agoThe Gemini Planet Imager operates at "near-infrared" wavelengths (Y - K bands), according to Wikipedia. The telescope is designed to detect light generated by the heat of young planets, so infrared is the best bet, I think.
- ngoldbaum 13y agoY band is 1 μm, K band is 2.2 μm [1]. Almost all current adaptive optics systems work in the infrared. [1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photometric_system http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photometric_system
- binarymax 13y agoThe star is 237 lightyears from earth. Incredible.