The Infona portal uses cookies, i.e. strings of text saved by a browser on the user's device. The portal can access those files and use them to remember the user's data, such as their chosen settings (screen view, interface language, etc.), or their login data. By using the Infona portal the user accepts automatic saving and using this information for portal operation purposes. More information on the subject can be found in the Privacy Policy and Terms of Service. By closing this window the user confirms that they have read the information on cookie usage, and they accept the privacy policy and the way cookies are used by the portal. You can change the cookie settings in your browser.
We present the first NACO thermal infrared observations of the Galactic Center. L’-band imaging has been performed during NACO Science Verification nights in 2002. During these observations, the separation between S2, the closest star to Sgr A*, and the black hole was too small to directly see a counterpart of the latter. However we have detected a thermal infrared excess that could be its...
Imaging in the L and M bands, as well as in emission lines of excited H2 are reported in the direction of the Orion molecular cloud OMC1, using the European Southern Observatory Very Large Telescope UT4, equipped with the NACO adaptive optics + camera system. Spatial resolution close to the diffraction limit has been achieved (0.06” – 0.12” ) and images show morphological details pertaining...
Near-infrared observations of line emission from excited H2 and in the continuum are reported of the Orion Molecular Cloud, OMC1, using the ESO-VLT with NACO, an association of the NAOS adaptive optics system and the CONICA infrared array camera. Data allow visualisation of the structure in OMC1 with unprecedented sensitivity and detail.
We present various recent results obtained with adaptive optics systems on the very central region of NGC 1068: Grif long-slit spectroscopy in K band and NAOS imaging with angular resolution from .06 to .12 arcsec in K, L and M bands. Results from spectroscopy are compared to a numerical model and allow us to derive a color temperature of 950 K for the central dominating source interpreted...
The European Extremely Large Telescope project (E-ELT) is one of Europe's highest priorities in ground-based astronomy. ELTs are built on top of a variety of highly sensitive and critical astronomical instruments. In particular, a new instrument called MOSAIC has been proposed to perform multi-object spectroscopy using the Multi-Object Adaptive Optics (MOAO) technique. The core implementation of the...
We now know that our Galaxy harbors at its centre a supermassive 3.6×106M⊙ black hole. This result came after more than 2 decades of infrared studies of the Galactic Centre and important instrumental developments in infrared detectors and in high spatial resolution techniques. Adaptive optics, which allows diffraction-limited infrared observations and enhanced sensitivity, was actually the major breakthrough...
FALCON is a wide-field, multi-object integral field spectrograph equipped with adaptive optics. It is dedicated to the study of the formation process of primordial galaxies. The AO system uses natural guide stars, and the high sky coverage required for these studies is obtained using tomographic techniques for the wavefront analysis. The structure of the OA system is very new, and particularly suited...
We have acquired resolved images of Titan with the adaptive optics systems PUEO/KIR at the CFHT (Hawaii) and NAOS/CONICA at the VLT (Chile). We report here on images and maps (when data at several orbital phases are available) of Titan's surface from observations taken during the last 4 years (2001–2004) in all the methane windows between 1 and 2.5 μm (namely, at 1.08, 1.28, 1.6, and 2 μm). We present...
Titan was observed with the Adaptive Optics Bonette at the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope during October 27th 1998 (UTC), when the satellite was at greatest eastern elongation (GEE) with respect to Saturn and its leading hemisphere was seen from the Earth. The seeing was excellent during these observations (with peaks at 0.3'' in the visible), and this allowed us to successfully image Titan for the...
Set the date range to filter the displayed results. You can set a starting date, ending date or both. You can enter the dates manually or choose them from the calendar.