How do advanced ground-based observatories minimize the blurring effect caused by atmospheric turbulence?

Answer

Employing adaptive optics systems using rapidly changing, deformable mirrors

Even the best optical telescopes situated on high mountains suffer from atmospheric turbulence, which causes stars to twinkle and blurs the resulting image—a condition known as poor seeing. To combat this, modern professional observatories employ advanced adaptive optics systems. These systems rely on high-speed sensors that instantaneously measure the atmospheric distortion, often by referencing a bright natural star or an artificial laser guide star projected into the air. This data is fed to a deformable mirror, which rapidly changes its shape thousands of times every second to counteract the atmospheric blurring in real-time. This technology significantly brings the clarity of ground-based views much closer to the pristine views obtained from space.

How do advanced ground-based observatories minimize the blurring effect caused by atmospheric turbulence?

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