All Technical Articles - Astronomy

A new class of detectors has great potential as x-ray cameras for future astrophysical observatories, with unprecedented energy resolution and array sizes greater than one megapixel.

Simulations suggest that computer-vision techniques offer important advantages over conventional sensors in satellite-based tracking missions.

Stress polishing toric mirrors minimizes residual speckles in stellar images and improves the accuracy of extrasolar-planet detection.

The optimal angular separation of laser-guide stars depends critically on the order of the wavefront's phase aberrations, the outer scale of turbulence, and the telescope's aperture.

Since 1969, retroreflectors on the Moon have been measuring the distance from Earth with increasing precision.

A new type of silicon-waveguide spectrometer is launch-friendly and has a significantly increased optical throughput at subnanometer resolution.

The discovery of perchlorates on the Martian surface does not rule out the existence of certain organic compounds that resist perchlorate oxidation.

Sonograms of the solar interior reveal a flow that is taking longer than usual to move from the poles to the equator and may be related to the current long minimum of solar activity.

SOFIA, a new airborne telescope, is about to embark on 20 years of discoveries.

Bioinformatic techniques enable identification of extremophile life forms well adapted to extraterrestrial environments such as Mars.

Optical nodal-aberration theory enables detailed characterization of optical aberrations affecting three-mirror telescope design.

From the domain of large telescopes and military applications, adaptive optics technology is poised to spread to new applications.

Novel engineering solutions enhance device performance in high-radiation environments.

Highly sensitive x-ray polarimeters will allow a small orbiting astronomical observatory to provide new insights into the twisted space around spinning black holes.

Digital micromirror devices allow multiplexing spectrograph designs that are capable of simultaneously obtaining thousands of spectra.

SPIE visited the Palomar Observatory recently during an important year for astronomy and for the Hale Telescope. In this video interview, superintendent Dan McKenna talks about the observatory's mission.

John Greivenkamp showcases historical optical devices at the 2009 SPIE Optics + Photonics Symposium in a video interview.

The former president of MIT spoke at the SPIE Optics + Photonics Symposium Awards Banquet.

The fabrication process can reduce multiple scattering effects and decrease pixel size, paving the way for improved x-ray, charged particle, and neutron detectors.

Oil present in extraterrestrial environments is derived from living organisms through processes very close to those at work on Earth.

Laser-induced fluorescence emission techniques enable ground and remote sensing of photosynthetic microorganisms living in the snow and ice.

The distorting effects of turbulence on images from a radio astronomy interferometer may be dramatically reduced by using a second instrument that monitors the atmosphere in real time.

The planned GRAVITY instrument will use optical interferometry to track the motion of matter in close proximity to the Galactic Center's black hole.

Salts depress the freezing temperature and vapor pressure of moisture, allowing aqueous solutions to form.

A new model for optical turbulence provides an alternative approach to site testing and enables flexible scheduling of observing time.

Hadamard transformation can dramatically increase the efficiency of integral-field spectroscopy in terms of observing time and detector use.

A flat, mechanically and thermally stable focal plane will help the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope generate unprecedented measurements of dark matter and insights into the nature of dark energy.

A stroke-minimizing wavefront-correction algorithm enables enhanced contrast ratios for adaptive-optics imaging.

The relentless pace of Moore's law has made it feasible and useful to port many scientific applications from dedicated hardware to commodity equipment.

Reliable mass spectrometers developed for spaceflight instruments could benefit future terrestrial applications.

A novel transmissive technology could add a polarimetry capability to future high-energy astronomical observatories with large effective areas.

Advanced technology for correcting atmospheric turbulence enhances the capabilities of ground-based astronomical telescopes.

The National Radio Astronomy Observatory is building new instruments as part of a community of developers led by the Center for Astronomy Signal Processing and Electronics Research.

Combining Virtual Observatory image data with the Google Sky interface opens up scientific astronomy image archives to the general public.

Cutting-edge technology and novel approaches target transformative scientific return from the next-generation astronomical survey telescope.

Advances in high-resolution microcalorimeters, with improved readout, will enable unprecedented x-ray imaging spectroscopy.

Advances in laser metrology and computer-generated holograms allow optical scientists at the University of Arizona to polish the mirrors for the Giant Magellan Telescope.

A multi-conjugate adaptive optics demonstrator has delivered astronomical images of remarkable sharpness covering a very large field of view.

The observatory's two facilities, a fast-tracking telescope and an optical interferometer, are the result of a strong science agenda supported by three enabling opportunities.

Combining coherently integrated multiwavelength observations with differential phases of the incident light waves enables imaging of astronomical sources using standard radio-interferometry methods.

New developments in receiver and digital-processing technology enable a new generation of fast survey instruments.

Effective information-management strategies could accelerate the pace of discovery.

A new technique employs mapped atmospheric distortions to correct the subtle telescope flaws that currently limit imaging of faint stellar companions.

A next-generation astronomical facility will incorporate a segmented mirror and cameras designed to study dark energy, search for extrasolar planets, and examine the origin and evolution of the universe.

A novel, highly versatile data-acquisition system allows for a wide variety of scientific optical and IR applications.

Innovative techniques address the difficulties of creating reasonably sized, very high-resolution spectroscopic instrumentation for telescopes larger than 30m in diameter.

Apertures with nonuniform transmission properties can almost fully remove the usual diffraction rings and are therefore ideally suited to observe the Sun's upper atmosphere.

An innovative engine system developed for the Plateau Observatory shows significant potential applicability for future small research facilities in harsh environmental conditions.

A new wide-field optical camera will obtain images of tens of millions of galaxies in multiple filters to determine their distances and investigate the nature of dark energy.

New Worlds Observer studies of brightness variations of unresolved terrestrial planets may help to determine the presence of liquid water and seasonal cycles.

The KuaFu mission is designed to observe the complete life cycle of phenomena that affect geospace, from their origin on the Sun to their arrival at Earth.

Wide Field Camera 3, a new camera for the Hubble Space Telescope, to be installed by astronauts during the upcoming space shuttle servicing mission, will provide astronomers with an unprecedented near-infrared view of the universe.

Satellite and shipboard data reveal the intermittent vertical information of the transport mechanism from turbulence and internal waves, which emit within the ocean, the atmosphere, and by planets and stars.

A recently built telescope on Tenerife will observe eruptive events in the solar chromosphere and help to gain physical insights into the underlying triggering mechanisms.

New focal plane tools and an adaptive optics system will aid in visible- and IR-wavelength imaging of faint and distant astronomical objects.

A new type of transmission grating promises to improve the performance of future x-ray-spectroscopy telescopes by a factor of five as compared to the Chandra X-ray Observatory.

A novel liquid crystal waveguide architecture enables electro-optic Fourier transform spectrometers on a chip scale.

Cutting-edge cameras and spectrometers will enable the Gemini Observatory to address fundamental questions about the nature of the universe and the origins of the stars and galaxies.

The Magdalena Ridge Observatory Interferometer will produce extremely sharp images of faint astrophysical targets while minimizing reflections and wavefront aberrations to maintain sensitivity.

The best topographic map of the lunar south pole, generated by radar interferometry using Goldstone Solar System Radar data, provides valuable information for lunar exploration and science.

A design concept for a far-ultraviolet monochromator permits simultaneous multiwavelength imaging, providing a new remote-sensing tool to study the atmospheres of the Earth and other planets.

A system that frees astronomical telescope images of diffraction rings is ideally suited to studying both Earth-like planets from space and planetary formation from the ground.

As a multichannel infrared instrument, EAGLE is being designed to provide 3D data for faintly received sources from the dawn of the Universe.

Processing massive and complex data with brainlike neural computation is critical to achieving onboard decision-making systems for robotic missions on Earth and in space.

Different beam sizes and a 20 year-old technique can be used to make small and medium size optics in a vacuum.

A specially developed computational approach efficiently handles multiple simultaneous optical paths.

The Juno mission will use an unusual polar orbit to examine Jupiter's deep atmosphere and the mechanisms generating its powerful aurora.

The Hayabusa spacecraft's observations of loose material on Itokawa's surface have important implications for resource exploration and future missions.

A cost-effective, integrated strategy of human-robotic exploration for resources should also apply principles of sustainability.

Two new astronomical instruments feature carbon fiber-reinforced plastic materials in both the optical tube assemblies and the optics.

Advanced detector materials such as lanthanum bromide enable the design of a highly sensitive, low-background Compton telescope for a future gamma-ray astronomy mission.

A low-noise silicon hard x-ray imaging device promises improvement over conventional technologies for future astronomical missions and medical applications.

Silicon technology may provide a solution to examining far-distant planets for biological evidence.

Fuzzy-logic-based systems enable robots exploring the outer solar system to perform scientific tasks with almost no human instruction.

The James Webb Space Telescope will incorporate new technology capable of blocking light from unwanted sources in order to observe extremely faint objects.

A nulling interferometer based on a pair of chessboard mirrors could provide the broad wavelength range required for exoplanet imaging.

A telescope positioned in the shadow of an external light blocker could image earth-like planets around nearby stars.

A visible and IR spectrograph is proposed as part of a space mission to study dark energy by observing supernovae and weak gravitational lensing.

A 4m high-powered solar telescope will dissect the origins and mechanisms of the sun's magnetic fields.

An efficient multi-frequency algorithm cross-correlates large radio and x-ray surveys to help identify new sources with blazar-like properties.

An astronomical instrument promises to significantly extend the currently available range of useful wavelengths, resulting in greater accuracy and observing efficiency.

Parallel optical processing allows a new instrument to capture both images and spectra without scanning.

The increasing number of galaxy clusters observed with the current generation of x-ray satellites allows investigators to study the formation and evolution of structure in the universe.

The combination of imaging and interferometry allows astronomers to investigate the relationship between the complex structures that make up an active galactic nucleus.

A heterodyne interferometer originally designed to detect gravitational waves in space can be further miniaturized and achieve very low noise levels in both translation and tilt measurements.

A new mechanical design and microfabrication process can create deformable mirror segments with a surface quality that meets requirements for next-generation telescopes.

An automated precision polisher can accurately produce freeform surfaces, possibly having no axis of symmetry, at sizes greater than 1m.

The new instrument being prepared for the 2008 launch will allow for observations at submillimeter wavelengths.

A panel of experts discussed their views and approaches to finding life forms in the universe during the Life in the Cosmos event sponsored by SPIE.

Astronomers have combined light from four widely separated telescopes to image the surface features of a Sun-like star for the first time.

New adaptive optics techniques could provide better systems for future extremely large telescopes and improve data analysis in exoplanet searches.

A new algorithm provides real-time measurements for automated docking without special targets or any sensor more complex than a video camera.

A new vacuum ultraviolet telescope will observe magnetic fields, plasma flows, and heating events in the Sun's atmosphere, providing key data for space weather models.

A correction algorithm can be used with optics and a shaped-pupil coronagraph for high-contrast imaging.

A new technique simultaneously determines the point spread function, position, and brightness of stars in crowded fields.

The software analysis package MODAL is being developed to provide tools for optical design and analysis in the terahertz waveband.

Micromirror arrays are being developed for object selection in multi-object spectrographs designed for future extremely large telescopes.

Harnessing expert user insight into simulations gives a promising technique to reduce computational time and improve efficiency in astrophysical simulations.

Satellite details were obtained from distorted telescope images restored with a multiframe deconvolution method using a maximum-likelihood object spectrum.

One of the first deep imaging surveys uses the difficult but promising technique of adaptive optics to study the early universe.

NASA's next flagship astrophysics mission passes critical fabrication, performance, and stability tests, moving the project toward its development phase.

The off-axis parabola parent radius of segments of the new James Webb Space Telescope primary mirror will be measured using a new technique.

A simple method is proposed to measure the coherence time, τ0, an important parameter in assessing atmospheric turbulence at potential sites for the next generation of telescopes.

A simple point-diffraction interferometer with phase-shifting capability has been designed using a pinhole fabricated from a lithium niobate crystal.

Searches for rare astronomical transients, predicted but never observed, can benefit from new observation strategies that have identified highly variable sources in a deep, wide sky survey.

Light-beam deflections due to atmospheric turbulence are one order of magnitude more precise with the aid of moiré patterns.

A continuous membrane, microelectromechanical systems-based deformable mirror represents a promising solution to the problem of detecting extrasolar planets.

Using standard semiconductor processing equipment, phase screens etched on glass-plate surfaces can simulate scaled-down 3D atmospheric optical turbulence.

A 224GHz photonic local oscillator can be used to drive observations in one element of a radio-interferometry array at millimeter wavelengths.

Creative solutions to ongoing control-system problems enabled the FUSE observatory to successfully make far-ultraviolet spectroscopic observations of nearly 3000 objects.

An integrated optical planar beam combiner for near-infrared stellar interferometry has been made by patterning a photosensitive glass with a UV laser.

Direct detection of planets around stars can be enhanced using a rotational shearing interferometer that suppresses star infrared radiation.

A proposed transmission system adopts content-based error correction to maximize the quality of astronomical images transmitted over the Internet to educators and researchers.

A detector designed for continuous observation of the night sky is looking for optical flashes from space.

Using simple filters at the telescope aperture overcomes diffraction limits on the resolution of astronomical images.

Optical vortex coronagraphy, a new technique for detecting Earth-like extrasolar planets, has several key advantages over other high-contrast imaging techniques.

Meter-class, composite astronomical telescopes are lightweight and, with adaptive optics, provide high-fidelity wave fronts and images.

An ultra-high-speed digitizer will make it possible to computerize one of the world's most comprehensive collections of astrophotographic plates for eventual online distribution and analysis.

Summed observations of an x-ray source enable calibration with relatively small operational and analysis costs.

A novel micro-pattern gaseous detector could expand the scope of high-energy astrophysics by providing a tool for x-ray polarimetry and gamma-ray band observations.

Fascinated by the heavens from childhood, John C. Mather now helps scientists understand the early universe.

Simulations involving antenna patterns show an assumption underlying a widely used turbulence phase-correction method may be wrong.

A high-resolution diffraction-limited camera helps evaluate whether multiconjugate adaptive optics can improve terrestrial astronomical imaging.

Planetary nebulae have been imaged using a new facility at the Very Large Telescope.

Micro-pore optics based on semiconductor micro-structure fabrication technologies can offer ultra-lightweight and low-cost x-ray telescopes for future astronomical missions.

Recent results obtained using a cryogenic submillimeter camera suggest that galactic magnetism plays an important role in star formation.

A technique for suppressing diffraction makes the use of external occulters in conjunction with separate satellite telescopes an attractive option in the search for extra-solar planets.

Telescope designers are developing a diffractive optic with millions of holes for future large space-based telescopes.

The high-performance 10.4m telescope is expected to begin producing scientific data of unprecedented detail by the end of 2007.

In-space manufacturing processes would enable development of extremely large optical systems while relieving a variety of launch constraints.

Piezo-controlled x-ray optics could be the answer for probing the first epoch of star formation in the Universe.

A lightweight primary optic can be repeatably manufactured at a low cost for space applications.

Two NASA-funded programs will image the Sun and then an exoplanet: both at high angular resolution and both using the same mirror.

The Giant Magellan Telescope, an extremely large, segmented-mirror instrument, should help answer leading astronomy and astrophysics questions in the coming decade.

The next generation of large-aperture space telescopes for astronomy and Earth science require dramatic technology advances in the manufacture of lightweight, affordable optics.

AMBER, a high-precision, high-sensitivity instrument for near-infrared spectroscopy at the Very Large Telescope, is returning its first astrophysical results.

The world's largest fully-steerable radio telescope is making significant and unique contributions to astronomy, from fundamental physics to cosmology.

Instrumentation and analysis methods have been developed to provide sky brightness and daytime seeing as a function of height at different locations.

The Palomar High-precision Astrometric Search for Exoplanet Systems (PHASES) is a unique approach to finding Jupiter-like planets in systems consisting of more than one star.

Developments in tunable Fabry-Perot imaging techniques are improving our capacity to observe polar jets ejected by stars, which persist much longer than previously thought.

The next generation x-ray telescope XEUS (x-ray evolving-universe spectroscopy) will be sensitive enough to detect the first generation of supermassive black holes and to study their growth.

Using electrochemical fabrication, comb-drive and vertical parallel plate actuators have been created with calculated deflections of 24 and 4.67μm, respectively.

An instrument consisting of three large-aperture Fabry-Pérot filters in series within a telecentric optical system would allow high spatial and spectral resolution solar observations by the Advanced Technology Solar Telescope.

Image processing of ultraviolet images of the red supergiant star Betelgeuse, taken by the Hubble Space Telescope, has revealed hot spots on its surface.

Nanolaminate foils are being combined with MEM electrostatic actuators to create deformable mirrors for optical correction at a wide range of sizes.

The development of optical multiarray biochips is essential for the immediate rapid screening of patients.

OE provides large apertures and high resolution for two interferometer-linked telescopes at Keck Observatory.

Microelectromechanical devices have dramatically reduced the size and cost of adaptive aptics and made it possible to construct portable systems that can improve the resolution of any telescope.

Successful entrepreneur Gregory Olsen sees his trip to space as another opportunity -- to raise the profile of science education.

A technique that allows soft x-rays to be focused using reflective elements that mimic a lobster's eye is extended to hard x-rays.

Field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) can implement high-performance coprocessors that accelerate volumetric pattern matching by 100-1000 times as compared to PCs.

An x-ray telescope consisting of a Fresnel zone plate and refractive lens, in theory, has much better angular resolution than any single telescope at any wavelength.

A specially-designed refractometer system measures refractive index to one to two orders of magnitude better accuracy than before. This new system has been used for many infrared lens materials down to temperatures as low as 15K.

Innovations in light pollution modeling and detection capabilities give rise to new applications such as the development of a method for remotely sensing aerosols at night and the assessment of night sky quality.

From oemagazine November/December, 2005.

A carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic (CFRP) structure for the X-Shooter spectrograph on the ESO VLT telescope offers distinct advantages over the present aluminum design.

From oemagazine August 2005

From oemagazine June/July 2005

From oemagazine August 2004

From oemagazine July 2004

From telescope lenses to extraterrestrial periscopes, Juan L. Rayces discusses his career of innovative lens design.

From oemagazine June 2004

From oemagazine June 2004

From oemagazine June 2004

From oemagazine June 2004

From oemagazine December 2002

From oemagazine August 2002

Aden and Marjorie Meinel form a team that has made a permanent and extraordinary mark in all aspects of astronomy. From the June 2002 issue of oemagazine.

From oemagazine February 2002

From oemagazine August 2001

From oemagazine April 2001

From oemagazine February 2001