What technique do large ground-based optical telescopes employ to counteract atmospheric turbulence?

Answer

Adaptive optics involving rapidly deforming mirrors.

While space observatories avoid atmospheric interference entirely, ground-based telescopes must actively compensate for the blurring caused by Earth's atmosphere, which manifests as stellar twinkling. Adaptive optics is a sophisticated technology designed specifically for this purpose. It involves sensors that rapidly measure the atmospheric distortions, feeding that information to highly precise, rapidly deforming mirrors within the telescope system. These mirrors change shape hundreds or thousands of times per second to precisely counteract the turbulence in real-time, achieving image sharpness that approaches the clarity attainable by space telescopes.

What technique do large ground-based optical telescopes employ to counteract atmospheric turbulence?

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