Guide Star for Biomedical Imaging (IMAGE)
Caption
A WUSTL scientist has invented the biomedical equivalent of the astronomers' guide star.To correct for atmospheric blurring, astronomers sometimes shine a laser into the sky near the spot where a telescope is pointing. The laser beam energizes sodium atoms naturally present above the stratosphere, producing a glowing artificial star called a guide star. The astronomers use the ‘twinkling’ of this guide star to continuously compensate for the effects of atmospheric turbulence on the light they are collecting from nearby stars. The guide star thus allows astronomers to obtain much sharper, more detailed images free of atmospheric blurring. Shown here is a laser beam projected into the night sky from the Keck-2 telescope on Mauna Kea, Hawaii.
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Paul Hirst/Creative Commons
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