Dark Hole (IMAGE)
Caption
This figure shows two images of HD 157728, a nearby star 1.5 times larger than the sun. The star is centered in both images, and its light has been mostly removed by the adaptive optics system and coronagraph. The remaining starlight leaves a speckled background against which fainter objects cannot be seen. On the left, the image was made without the ultra-precise starlight control that Project 1640 is capable of. On the right, the wavefront sensor was active, and a darker square hole formed in the residual starlight, allowing objects up to 10 million times fainter than the star to be seen. Images were taken on June 14, 2012, with Project 1640 on the Palomar Observatory's 200-inch Hale telescope.
Credit
Courtesy of Project 1640
Usage Restrictions
Can be used with appropriate credit
License
Licensed content