A technology that corrects for atmospheric turbulence in real-time by using deformable mirrors and sensors to counteract the blurring effects of Earth's atmosphere. This allows ground-based telescopes to achieve nearly space-telescope quality images.
From Latin 'adaptare' (to fit, adjust) combined with Greek 'optikos' (relating to sight). Developed in the 1970s initially for military applications and laser communications, the term entered astronomical usage in the 1980s as astronomers adapted this technology to overcome the fundamental limitation of atmospheric seeing.
Adaptive optics systems make thousands of tiny mirror adjustments per second - faster than a hummingbird's wingbeat - to undo the twinkling effect that makes stars appear to dance in the sky! Without this technology, even the largest ground-based telescopes would be limited to the same image quality as a 10-centimeter telescope due to atmospheric turbulence.
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