Computing in optics - Computing and telescopes at the frontiers of optical astronomy

Abstract

W e can trace our interest in recording and understanding the stars and planets back thousands of years. But it was not until the early 17th century with the telescope's invention that we recorded the first astronomical "images," hand drawings of our Moon's surfaces, the Sun, Venus, and Saturn, and Jupiter's satellites. Detailed drawings by Galileo Galilei and others surpassed anything previously seen and were pivotal in advancing the Copernican hypothesis that our Sun-rather than the Earth-was the center of all motion. This revolutionized our perspective of the heavens and planted a seed of curiosity about the existence of other Earth-like places. Early astronomers quickly realized that bigger is better when it came to telescopes. Larger tele-42 COMPUTING IN SCIENCE & ENGINEERING COMPUTING AND TELESCOPES AT THE FRONTIERS OF OPTICAL ASTRONOMY Advances in computing power are improving astronomical imaging by enabling adaptive-optics technology to mitigate atmospheric and other physical variables. Present-day 3.5-to 10-meter telescopes fitted with adaptive optics see farther and with higher resolution than the Hubble Space Telescope. The continuous evolution of ground-based telescope capabilities could make them suitable for applications previously envisioned only for space-based systems.