In Part 1 of this article, I described astrometry and why it's such an important part of astronomy. Now, we're going to look at how TMT will perform astrometry to a new degree of precision.
While pursuing my doctorate in experimental astrophysics, in London, I would sometimes visit the map room at the British Museum. I'd look at the ancient maps, with coastlines that were recognizable, but distorted and out of proportion. Some areas were imagined to be populated by terrifying monsters, or even left blank, because cartographers of the time had insufficient information to do better. Over time, as more information was observed or...
In an earlier companion post (Sharper Focus, Part 1), I introduced the concept of adaptive optics and talked about some of the ways astronomers and engineers have used those techniques to sharpen the images we capture. Now I鈥檇 like to show you some of the specific adaptive optics solutions that will enhance TMT鈥檚 vision.
The Atmospheric Lens TMT鈥檚 unprecedented ability to peer into the depths of the Universe means it will have a phenomenal impact on many areas of astronomy. But in this age of space-based telescopes, you may have wondered how a ground-based observatory like TMT (or some of the other next-generation large terrestrial telescopes) will get past the challenges of being on the ground instead of up in orbit. One of the major challenges is...
Until recently, eyeglass lenses were actually made of glass-remember the "Coke-bottle-bottoms" some people had to wear? Given the fragility and other quirky qualities of glass, you can imagine the delicacy with which the optician had to grind every lens blank to achieve exactly the right specifications. Now picture 492 glass pieces - actually, mirror segments once they have the reflective coating added -each weighing as much as a dozen car...
鈥淲ax on, wax off,鈥� said Mr. Miyagi to "The Karate Kid" (1984), to help the kid develop efficiency of movement, attention to detail, and grace鈥攚hile also polishing Mr. Miyagi鈥檚 classic car. What could this possibly have to do with TMT?
As I鈥檝e explained elsewhere in this blog, segment support assemblies are what hold in place each of TMT鈥檚 primary mirror segments. They also let each segment be positioned in real time to provide the best possible imaging capability. Staff at the TMT Project Lab in Monrovia, California, are building six segment support assemblies to determine whether the design can be manufactured in a repeatable, problem-free manner.
It鈥檚 been some time since my last blog entry because TMT has been keeping me rather busy. I鈥檒l talk about some of the latest happenings in upcoming entries as soon as time permits. However, before letting any more time go by, I鈥檇 like to take a moment to highlight TMT鈥檚 WFOS system.
As I write this, the final design for TMT鈥檚 enclosure鈥攁 huge, moveable dome that will house the telescope鈥攊s nearing completion. A substantial portion of the final design has already been done, allowing for work to begin on the production readiness phase. The last of the design reviews, for the enclosure鈥檚 electrical and controls aspects, is planned for the coming months, with the hope that a contract for the fabrication phase and making all...
One of the highlights for me starting to working on TMT four years ago was my first visit to our laboratory, and the opportunity to see and touch the hardware prototypes for TMT鈥檚 mirror support and control systems.
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