Final answer:
The purpose of adaptive optics is to correct for atmospheric distortions, providing clearer images from ground-based telescopes. The statement is true. Option A is correct.
Step-by-step explanation:
The purpose of adaptive optics is indeed to rapidly adjust for the changing distortions caused by the Earth's atmosphere, so the statement is True. Adaptive optics uses a small flexible mirror in a telescope that can change shape up to 500 times per second.
This adjustability allows the mirror to compensate for atmospheric distortions, resulting in much sharper astronomical images. In effect, adaptive optics systems enable ground-based telescopes to achieve resolutions comparable to that of the Hubble Space Telescope in the infrared region of the spectrum, despite the presence of atmospheric turbulence.
The statement is True. The purpose of adaptive optics is to rapidly adjust for the changing distortions caused by the Earth's atmosphere. It uses a small flexible mirror placed in the beam of a telescope, along with a sensor that measures the atmospheric distortions.
Based on the measurements, the mirror is adjusted multiple times per second to compensate for the distortions and bring the light back to a sharp focus at the detector. This technique allows ground-based telescopes to achieve resolutions similar to those of space telescopes like the Hubble.