Martian sky at night, pictures.

reply to post by GaryN


A wavefront sensor is a device for measuring the aberrations of an optical wavefront. They are commonly used in adaptive optics systems, lens testing and increasingly in ophthalmology.

Check out the book Introduction to Wavefront Sensors for more details.

It's complimentary technology, designed to improve the image and get rid of image artifacts. To actually take a picture, the Hubble and other modern space cameras use a CCD that registers photons, just like regular digital cameras.

reply to post by wildespace


The technology that Goddard is licensing is what makes photons detectable to the CCD. The energy that becomes photon type light is likely traversing the vacuum in the form of spatial solitons, self focusing 'beams' that can have different wavefront shapes. Goddard also provides the software needed to interpret what the CCD is detecting, allowing them to create an image from the ones and zeros. These instruments are not taking a picture like some oversized Brownie camera.
But yes, the technology is applicable to other purposes too, and I believe it was held back fro so long as the science, Shack-Hartmann stuff, was originally used for the ICBM star tracker cameras. The advance in micro-fabrication, and the materials used, has reduced the size and cost of those units tremendously, to a point where the mini-Hubbles are feasible.
However, for the instruments to work as I believe they do, then the Vacuum would need to be considered a non-linear medium. Crazy you say. Well at least I'm in good company. The full document is available at the linked site.
Spin space: the vacuum as a nonlinear medium
www.researchgate.net...

Originally posted by Heliophant
So who wants to start comparing these images to Earth-based star charts...?

That would provide fairly strong evidence to support/deny the whole "these pics aren't from Mars" debate.

No. Because Earth and Mars basically see the same stars, as they orbit the same Sun, and the small parallax difference isn't visible through this kind of photographies. . So no evidence/denial is possible that way.

Nice thinking, though

Originally posted by GaryN
reply to post by wildespace

 

The technology that Goddard is licensing is what makes photons detectable to the CCD.

Ah, so there are photons. Earlier, you said that "there are no photons of light travelling in the vacuum."

This post makes me wonder how other space agencies managed to take space images. There are decades of space photography (including using the CCD), and decades of wavefront sensors being in use. It's not some exclusive know-how kept by NASA and only recently made available. Wavefront sensors are also used by ground-based observatories, to combat atmospheric distortions. www.ctio.noao.edu...

Something tells me you don't read the links I provided, or read them but refuse to acknowledge what's said in them. I'll put it in simple words: a wavefront sensor helps compensate for optical artifacts like abberation. The CCD still needs photons to produce an image.