#adaptiveoptics

Adaptive optics: really finicky lenses, constant collimation, don't get the last in your eye. And in the end, awesome deformable mirror wavefronts. #caltech #optics #adaptiveoptics #instrumentation #astronomy (at California Institute of Technology - Caltech)

A new age of optics is emerging, thanks to an unprecedented boom in optics technology that is having an impact on science, health care, industry, and education.

How Adaptive Optics Are Improving Cosmic Observations Adaptive optics (different from active optics) is a technology used in telescopes that reduces distortions from the atmosphere. This technology has allowed ground-based telescopes to exceed the power of those that move outside of our atmosphere, such as the Hubble Space Telescope. Additionally, adaptive optics technology has revolutionized vision science by providing unprecedented detail of the human eye. Using this data, health experts are able to be much more pre-emptive when dealing with eye diseases. For more information on the tie between these two sciences, read the latest Penny4NASA blog post covering adaptive optics: http://www.penny4nasa.org/2013/08/01/how-adaptive-optics-are-improving-cosmic-observations/