Some astronomers don't like stars. Bright star fluctuations [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…] can indicate how the Earth's atmosphere [ http://csep10.phys.…] is changing, but many times no bright star exists in the direction where atmospheric information is needed. So rather than try to eradicate existing stars with a laser, these astronomers create an artificial star [ http://www.llnl.gov…] of their own right where they need it -- with a laser [ http://www.howstuff…]. Subsequent observations of the artificial laser guide star [ http://op.ph.ic.ac.…] can reveal information so detailed about the blurring effects of the Earth's atmosphere that much of this blurring can be removed [ http://adsabs.harva…] by rapidly flexing the mirror. Such adaptive optic [ http://www.mtwilson…] techniques allow high-resolution ground-based observations of real star [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…]s, planets [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…], and nebulae [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…]. Above [ http://www.noao.edu…], an artificial star was created with a four-watt laser at Richard B. Dunn Solar Telescope [ http://www.sunspot.…] on Sacramento Peak [ http://www.sunspot.…] in New Mexico [ http://www.state.nm…].
Explanation
Some astronomers don't like stars. Bright star fluctuations [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…] can indicate how the Earth's atmosphere [ http://csep10.phys.…] is changing, but many times no bright star exists in the direction where atmospheric information is needed. So rather than try to eradicate existing stars with a laser, these astronomers create an artificial star [ http://www.llnl.gov…] of their own right where they need it -- with a laser [ http://www.howstuff…]. Subsequent observations of the artificial laser guide star [ http://op.ph.ic.ac.…] can reveal information so detailed about the blurring effects of the Earth's atmosphere that much of this blurring can be removed [ http://adsabs.harva…] by rapidly flexing the mirror. Such adaptive optic [ http://www.mtwilson…] techniques allow high-resolution ground-based observations of real star [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…]s, planets [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…], and nebulae [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…]. Above [ http://www.noao.edu…], an artificial star was created with a four-watt laser at Richard B. Dunn Solar Telescope [ http://www.sunspot.…] on Sacramento Peak [ http://www.sunspot.…] in New Mexico [ http://www.state.nm…].
