Adaptive Optics for Telescopes Large and Small

In the past 20 years, adaptive optics (AO) technology to remove image blurring due to atmospheric turbulence has come a long way. In this talk I will describe the basic principles of AO and laser guide stars; a bit of AO history; its current status on 8-10m telescopes; and future plans. I will also discuss what AO can, and cannot, do to sharpen images on smaller telescopes (say a half meter or less). I'd like to hear whether anyone in the group has tried one of the amateur-level AO systems, and what their experience has been.

Speaker: Claire Max, UC Santa Cruz