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Does this make sense: Thanks to adaptive optics, telescopes on the ground can now make ultraviolet images of the cosmos.

a. Yes
b. No
c. Depends on the telescope technology
d. Unsure

1 Answer

5 votes

Final answer:

Ground-based telescopes cannot make ultraviolet images of the cosmos using adaptive optics, as the Earth's atmosphere blocks this wavelength, requiring space-based telescopes.

Step-by-step explanation:

The statement that ground-based telescopes can now make ultraviolet images of the cosmos thanks to adaptive optics does not fully align with the capabilities of the technique. While adaptive optics is a powerful method for correcting atmospheric distortions in real-time, allowing telescopes on the ground to achieve nearly space telescope-level image resolutions in the infrared region, it does not enable ultraviolet observations from the ground. Earth's atmosphere effectively blocks most radiation at wavelengths shorter than visible light, necessitating space-based observations to directly capture ultraviolet, X-ray, and gamma-ray images.

Therefore, the correct answer to the student's question is 'b. No', as the current technology associated with adaptive optics enhances resolution primarily in the infrared region, not in the ultraviolet spectrum.

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