Diffraction spikes, visible in high-power astronomical images, are an intrinsic optical phenomenon in reflecting telescopes, primarily caused by the diffraction and subsequent interference of incoming ...

Imaging technology has transformed how we observe the universe—from mapping distant galaxies with radio telescope arrays to ...

Today, astronomers seek to observe the faintest and most distant objects possible. Extremely Large Telescopes (ELTs), with apertures in the order of several dozen meters, are the next generation ...

A new imaging technology developed at the University of Connecticut promises to rewrite the rules of optical imaging, ...

Earth-like planets in the habitable zone can easily be up to a billion times dimmer than their host star, said Nico Deshler of the University of Arizona. That vast difference in brightness is a steep ...

The James Webb Space Telescope has captured the activity of a pair of forming young stars in high-resolution near-infrared light. These stars, known as Herbig-Haro 46/47, are imaged within the ...

What is the Diffraction Limit? The diffraction limit is a fundamental barrier in optical microscopy that sets the minimum size of features that can be resolved using conventional light microscopes. It ...

(via Be Smart) The James Webb Telescope just took a photo of a newly discovered exoplanet. Exciting stuff but the raw image just looks like a small, faint dot—not a fully detailed world. The question ...

Visual demonstration of the performance of the diffraction grating. The zeroth order transmission refers to light that goes straight through the grating without undergoing diffraction (which should be ...