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How to compensate for light passing through airpockets? Kepler 22b

a. It enhances the clarity of images
b. It introduces distortions and blurring
c. It increases the brightness of celestial objects
d. It has no impact on observations

User IPeter
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1 Answer

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Final answer:

Astronomers use adaptive optics to compensate for light distortion caused by Earth's atmosphere, and observations from space can also avoid these issues. Adaptive optics involve a flexible mirror that corrects the light's path to the telescope's sensor for clear images.

Step-by-step explanation:

Light passing through air pockets can introduce distortions and blurring to images of celestial objects, an effect astronomers call 'bad seeing.' To compensate for light distortions caused by Earth's turbulent atmosphere, astronomers have implemented a technology known as adaptive optics. This system utilizes a small, flexible mirror that adjusts up to 500 times per second to correct for atmospheric distortion, bringing the light into almost perfect focus.

Another strategy to avoid these distortions is to conduct observations from space, where the atmosphere does not interfere with the light from celestial objects like Kepler 22b. By observing in the infrared spectrum, where adaptive optics are most effective, ground-based telescopes can achieve resolutions comparable to those of the Hubble Space Telescope.

User David Salamon
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