Uranus' Rings from Earth

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John Schutkeker - 23 Dec 2005 21:34 GMT

Can adaptive optics image Uranus' rings all the way from Earth, like Hubble
does in this photo?

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051223/ap_on_sc/uranus_rings

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Landy - 23 Dec 2005 22:35 GMT

Yep, I just use a mirror.
(but maybe someone else can offer a serious answer).
'tis the season for frivolity......
cheers
Bill

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Jonathan Silverlight - 24 Dec 2005 00:05 GMT

>Can adaptive optics image Uranus' rings all the way from Earth, like Hubble
>does in this photo?
>
>http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051223/ap_on_sc/uranus_rings

Google is your friend as usual :-)

<http://astron.berkeley.edu/%7Efmarchis/Science/Uranus/>
<http://www.planetary.org/explore/topics/our_solar_system/uranus/rings.ht
ml>

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William C. Keel - 30 Dec 2005 18:20 GMT

> Can adaptive optics image Uranus' rings all the way from Earth, like Hubble
> does in this photo?

> http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051223/ap_on_sc/uranus_rings

It's been done without adaptive optics, but in the near-IR (likewise
for Jupiter's ring). The best contrast happens using narrowband
filters matching methane absorption bands which dim the planets'
atmospheres but not the rings. Such a set of Jupiter images is at
http://irtfweb.ifa.hawaii.edu/research/GalleryOfImages/JupRingsMoons.html
(hope I got this right, can't do cut/paste in this connection). A
more recent Paoomar AO image showing the Uranian rings is at
http://ao.jpl.nasa.gov/images/aouranus_labelled.gif - note that
the 2.2-micron band sits in an atmospheric absorption region,
so the planet almost vanishes.

Bill Keel

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John Schutkeker - 31 Dec 2005 11:27 GMT

>> Can adaptive optics image Uranus' rings all the way from Earth, like
>> Hubble does in this photo?
[quoted text clipped - 11 lines]
> the 2.2-micron band sits in an atmospheric absorption region,
> so the planet almost vanishes.

That is **SOOO COOOL**. If they had a single photo at higher resolution,
I'd use Photoshop to insert it as a background for a space art project.
Here's the actual link, as you dropped "/science" from the pathname.

http://irtfweb.ifa.hawaii.edu/research/science/GalleryOfImages/JupRingsM
oons.html

I still think it makes sense to use adaptive optics, since Uranus' Rings
are optically visible, and there's no need to amplify them with a clever
choice of EM band. I'm gonna go web searching to see if I can find an
observatory using that hardware.

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Space Forum / Astronomy / December 2005

Uranus' Rings from Earth