LSU #39;s "ASK 5" with Ashley Pagnotta - Physics (Astronomy)
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LSU's "ASK 5" with Ashley Pagnotta - Physics (Astronomy) - Video
Category Archives: Astronomy
Dr Zakir Naik speaking about Astronomy in islam – Video
Dr Zakir Naik speaking about Astronomy in islam
Dr Zakir Naik speaking about Astronomy in islam.
By: 4youIslam
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Astronomy Cast 295: The Observable Universe – Video
Astronomy Cast 295: The Observable Universe
By: Fraser Cain
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Pejcha et al. (2013): OSU Astronomy Coffee Brief – Video
Pejcha et al. (2013): OSU Astronomy Coffee Brief
This is an OSU Astronomy "Coffee Brief" for the Pejcha et al. (2013) paper "Greatly Enhanced Eccentricity Oscillations in Quadruple Systems Composed of Two B...
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Oakland: Chabot brings astronomy show to Lincoln Elementary
OAKLAND -- The Chabot Space & Science Center recently brought an informal science and cultural event to Lincoln Elementary School in Oakland's Chinatown.
High school students from the center's Galaxy Explorer program with high school students from Hong Kong put on a digital astronomy show for third-, fourth- and fifth-graders. The April 2 event was part of the Digital Skies Partnership between Chabot and the Hong Kong Space Museum.
"It's great to see the work we're doing with informal science education crossing international boundaries," said Chabot CEO Alexander Zwissler, who emceed part of the event. "Today is a great example of our local youth being inspired and engaged through the universal language of science and space education."
Lincoln Elementary School Principal John Melvin Jr. said his students were enjoying the interaction with the science students, who spoke directly with each class throughout afternoon. Talking with high school students, the younger students realized that it's not all fun and games, but people have careers in astronomy and the sciences, Melvin said. About 350 elementary school students saw the show.
On the ceiling of an inflatable dome, the high school students projected images of Earth, the Hubble Space Telescope and the International Space Station, sharing facts about outer space and astronomy. Tayeb Zaidi, a student from Lick-Wilmerding High School in San Francisco, said the International Space
The event and partnership between Chabot and the Hong Kong Space Museum is funded by the American Alliance of Museums and the U.S. State Department. Heather L. Berry, manager of International Programs at the American Alliance of Museums, visited from Washington, D.C., to see the kind of impact the program is having in the community.
"Chabot is really the epitome of the great work museums are doing in their communities," Berry said.
Through the partnership, students are learning not only about science, but about another culture. The explorers, including Oakland resident Jelani Newsome-Noble, have a chance this summer to learn about eastern culture when they travel to Hong Kong.
Newsome-Noble is a senior at Bentley Upper School in Lafayette, and will pursue interests in astronomy, psychology and biology at DePaul University in Chicago.
Chan Ki-hung, curator of the Hong Kong Space Museum, said the program is the world's first of its kind. Ki-hung said that the students will be able to compare the space exploration programs of China and the United States. A NASA grant covered the equipment, computers, dome, software and training for the ongoing event.
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Astronomy Cast 294: Arecibo Observatory – Video
Astronomy Cast 294: Arecibo Observatory
By: Fraser Cain
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MU astronomy professor Angela Speck receives Kemper Fellowship award
Wednesday, April 10, 2013 | 4:55 p.m. CDT; updated 10:53 p.m. CDT, Wednesday, April 10, 2013
COLUMBIA AngelaSpeck felt sheer terror whenMU administrators, professors and staff entered her classroom to award her the William T. Kemper Fellowship for Teaching Excellence.
She knew she was going to blush.
"It doesnt go with the outfit or the hair, said Speck, whosehair is black with purple and green streaks.
Speck, a professor in the MU Department of Physics and Astronomy, received the fifth and final 2013 Kemper Fellowship on Wednesday morning. She joined associate professor of toxicology Tim Evans, who won the first award, and three other professors who also won awards.
MU Deputy Chancellor Mike Middleton made the announcement to eight students in Specks Introduction to Modern Astrophysics course before Commerce Bank Chairman Jim Schatz presented her with a check for $10,000.
The Kemper Fellowship program was established in 1991. It was named for William T. Kemper, a 1926 graduate of MU. Commerce Bank controls a trust that provides $10,000 awards to five outstanding MU professors each year.
In his presentation of the award, Middleton recalled a conversation he had with Speck when they both traveled to South Africa.
"She said she wanted to be an astronomer since she was a little girl," Middleton said. "Her passion for the field is obvious."
Twenty minutes later, Speck was back to teaching her class, which focused on techniques for measuring distance in space.
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MU astronomy professor Angela Speck receives Kemper Fellowship award
Astronomy tour at Olana site on Saturday
By FREEMAN STAFF
WHAT: Astronomy tour
WHEN: Saturday from 7 to 9 p.m.
WHERE: Wagon House Education Center at Olana State Historic Site, 5720 state Route 9G, Hudson
DETAILS: The Olana Partnership is hosting its second astronomy tour. The evening will begin with a presentation of the wonders of the night sky that are currently observable. The evening will begin with a presentation of the wonders of the night sky that are currently observable. Participants will then move out to the viewing field, where they will be oriented to the major features of the night sky. Members of the Mid-Hudson Astronomical Association will be present with various size telescopes to view the moon, Jupiter, and stellar clusters. Participants are welcome to bring their own binoculars and a red flashlight. HOW MUCH: Suggested donation of $5 per person. Registration required and must be made by Friday.
CALL/EMAIL: Register with Sarah Hasbrook by calling (518) 828-1872 or sending an email to shasbrook@olana.org.
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Fun With Physics and Astronomy
UC Riverside Department of Physics and Astronomy invites the community to an afternoon of exciting activities and talks on April 13
By Iqbal Pittalwala on April 8, 2013
Standing on a rotatable platform, a visitor to a past Physics and Astronomy Open House at UC Riverside gets a hands-on education on a physical law called the principle of conservation of angular momentum. Photo credit: I. Pittalwala, UC Riverside.
RIVERSIDE, Calif. How does a hybrid car use electricity to move? And how does it convert the cars movement back into stored electric energy when it slows down? How do electricity and magnetism work? Are they always coupled? And how exactly does physics explain sound and music?
The public has the opportunity to find out the answers to these questions and more on April 13, 2013, at the University of California, Riverside campus.
From 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. that day, the Department of Physics and Astronomy will host its annual open house, allowing visitors to campus to have one-on-one interactions with faculty and students and get to know all about the cutting-edge research the department conducts. Parking in Lot 30 is free.
The open house a popular, fun-filled event for the family will be held in the Physics Building as well as outside in the adjacent courtyard.
Presentations that showcase the research being done in the department will be held in the lobby and classrooms of the Physics Building. The presentations will each be about 20 minutes long. Presentations on astrophysics, cosmology and condensed matter physics will start at 2 p.m., take place in Room 3041 (the Reading Room), and be given twice; the talk on high energy physics will be ongoing in the lobby.
Fun, hands-on demonstrations will take place in the courtyard and inside the Physics Building. The demonstrations, which in the past have been very popular with children, will cover a variety of topics, including electricity, magnetism and sound/music.
We will give away small electric motor kits while supplies last, said Owen Long, an associate professor of physics and astronomy and the lead organizer of the open house. We will also provide tours of our research labs and provide information for prospective, beginning and transfer students.
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Two New Online Astronomy Courses from CosmoQuest
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Want to learn more about our Universe or refresh your astronomical knowledge? Cosmoquest has two new online astronomy classes, and they are a great opportunity expand your horizons! The two classes are The Sun and Stellar Evolution (April 15 May 8, 2013) and Introduction to Cosmology (April 23 May 16, 2013) Cosmoquest offers the convenience of an online class along with live (and lively!) interaction with your instructor and a small group astronomy enthusiasts like yourself. The lectures are held in Google+ Hangouts, with course assignments and homework assigned via Moodle. The instructors are likely well-known to UT readers. Research assistant and blogger Ray Sanders (Dear Astronomer and UT) will be teaching the stellar evolution class and astronomer and writer Dr. Matthew Francis will be leading the cosmology course.
The cost for the class is $240, and the class is limited to 8 participants, with the possibility for an additional 5 participants. Both instructors say no prior knowledge of cosmology or astronomy is needed. There will be a little math, but it will be on the high school algebra level. Concepts will be heavily emphasized.
Here are the descriptions for each class:
Stellar Evolution:
The Sun is a fascinating topic of study, which allows solar astronomers to better understand the physical processes in other stars. During this 4-week / 8-session course, well explore the Sun and Solar Evolution from an astronomers point of view. Our course will begin with an overview of the Sun, and solar phenomenon. Well also explore how stars are formed, their lifecycles, and the incredible events that occur when stars reach the end of their lives. The course will culminate with students doing a short presentation on a topic related to the Sun or Stellar Evolution.
Introduction to Cosmology:
Cosmology is the study of the structure, contents, and evolution of the Universe as a whole. But what do cosmologists really study? In this 8-session course, well look at cosmology from an astronomy point of view: taking what seems like too big of a subject and showing how we can indeed study the Universe scientifically. The starting point is the smallest chunk of the Universe that is representative of everything we can see: the Cosmic Box.
Class level: No prior knowledge of cosmology or astronomy is needed. There will be a little math, but it will be on the high school algebra level: the manipulation of ratios and use of some important equations. The emphasis is on concepts!
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Astronomy: State of the Art – First Live Session – Video
Astronomy: State of the Art - First Live Session
By: Matthew Wenger
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Astronomy Night at CAC filled with stars and poetry
SIGNAL PEAK People can expand their universe by learning all about the actual expanding universe at Central Arizona Colleges The Big Bang Astronomy Night on Friday.
A kid-friendly dinner will be served in the cafeteria from 5 to 6 p.m. for $6.50 a person. A CAC astronomer will be on hand from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Signal Peak Campus astronomy tower to discuss a universe thats going places in every direction.
This will include a discussion on the Planck Satellite, cosmology and why scientists say the universe is 13.7 billion years old, way older even than the tuna in the back of the fridge.
But Astronomy Night isnt all about stars and planets repelling each other. There are plenty of activities that speak to the interests of the events two hosts, the CAC Communications and Science divisions.
Internationally recognized poet Alberto Rios will give a presentation on The Poetry of Science from 6:30 to 7:15 p.m. in Room T116.
Other activities include:
--Learning about languages with language games and making a Mothers Day card in different languages like Spanish, French and Russian.
--Storytelling and sharing picture books relating to stars, outer space and other worlds.
--Display of sci-fi film and literature memorabilia, with scale models of Star Trek ships and Star Wars light sabers.
--Activity involving hand washing, learning about germs and how diseases spread and how to protect yourself.
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OU acquires rare Roman astronomy manuscript
NORMAN A rare manuscript written by a leading astronomer in Rome at the height of Galileos astronomical discoveries recently was acquired by the University of Oklahomas History of Science Collections.
The newly acquired manuscript, Tractatus de sphaera, by Oratio Grassi records Grassis lectures in mathematics and astronomy. The Grassi manuscript is one of three works by Grassi to enhance OUs Galileo collection this year. In two just-acquired printed books, Grassi discussed three comets that appeared in the sky in 1618.
The Grassi manuscript is an important addition to the OU History of Science Collection, which is already recognized as among the small number of great collections in science in the world, said OU President David L. Boren.
The Grassi manuscript is one of only a few astronomical manuscripts from the leading Jesuit university preceding the publication and subsequent condemnation of Galileos Dialogo (1632). OU holds Galileos own copy of the Dialogo, containing his handwritten comments in the margins.
By any measure, this Grassi manuscript is a significant acquisition for the University of Oklahoma and an important addition to the prestigious Galileo works held by our History of Science Collections, said Rick Luce, dean of University Libraries. The penmanship is beautiful, said Luce, noting that some of the pages have detailed illustrations, all hand-drawn.
The Grassi manuscript discusses Gaileos discoveries, including imperfections on the surface of the Sun and Moon and the satellites of Jupiter. These discoveries were first published by Galileo in Sidereus nuncius, printed in Venice in 1610. The OU copy of Sidereus nuncius displays Galileos signature on the title page.
The OU Galileo collection is remarkable, Luce said. While many major libraries hold one or two first editions of Galileo, OU holds the entire set of 12 first editions. Neither the Library of Congress nor the British Library can say the same. Moreover, four of OUs first editions, including the Sidereus nuncius and the Dialogo, contain Galileos handwriting. The Grassi manuscript and the two other Grassi books are unique additions to an already world-class Galileo collection.
The acquisition was made possible with a $500,000 gift from the OU Athletics Department to establish an endowment to support exhibits and acquire rare works for the History of Science Collections.
We are grateful to the Athletics Department for funding the endowment that made it possible for this manuscript to find its way to OU for its permanent home, Luce said.
Key works from the OU Galileo collection, including the newly acquired Grassi manuscript, are now on display in the History of Science Collections on the fifth floor of Bizzell Memorial Library.
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Astronomy saviour of human civilization: Narlikar
Chandigarh, April 4 (IANS) Leading astrophysicist Jayant V. Narlikar Thursday said astronomy was quite relevant to the needs of the common man and knowledge of this science was helping save human civilization.
Making a presentation at the second national Space Conference (Theme Astronomy) under the International Space Society's (ISS) space outreach programme for schoolchildren, Narlikar said that astronomical research has shown that comet Swift Tuttle could strike earth on Aug 14, 2126 and cause devastation.
However, he added that space science can prevent the collision by causing a nuclear explosion near the comet.
Narlikar, who is internationally known for his work on cosmology, said that a big project will use space technology to bring Sun's energy to the Earth to satisfy human hunger for more and more energy.
"This energy will be capable of lighting up complete cities and towns and will be better than the solar energy being garnered today, as this is able to light up small establishments only," he said.
Nearly 1,500 school students from Gujarat, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh region are attending the two-day event.
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Mobilewalla: Look up in the sky with these astronomy apps
April is Global Astronomy Month. The following apps offer fun and educational ways to learn more about the stars.
Star Walk -- 5 Stars Astronomy Guide ($2.99) Point the Star Walk app toward the sky, and it will identify the stars, planets and constellations in your line of sight. (Mobilewalla Score: 97/100)
Redshift -- Astronomy ($11.99) An extraordinary 3-D encyclopedia of the vast majority of explored space objects, including 500 galaxies. (Score: 88/100)
Solar Telescope HD ($1.99) Provides a safe means to observe the sun's changes in real time. (Score: 77/100)
Astronomy 101 By WAGmob ($1.99)* A learning tool designed to help students of astronomy learn the basics and test their knowledge. (Score: 69/100)
Astronomy Challenge (Free) Test your knowledge of astronomy with this fun quiz. (Score: 66/100)Android apps
Sky Map (Free) Identify objects in the sky instantly with Sky Map. Simply point your device at the sky, and it will give information about what's above you. (Mobilewalla Score: 98/100)NASA App (Free)* Follow the amazing discoveries and view the most recent images collected by the NASA team. (Score: 95/100)
Mobile Observatory -- Astronomy ($4.49) A sophisticated tool for astronomy fans featuring a live sky map and alerts for special events that are worth viewing. (Score: 90/100)
Space Images (Free)* View stunning photographs of the universe's wonders, brought to you by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. (Score 88/100)
Sun Surveyor ($6.49)* Real-time and predicted explanations of the position, light intensity and angles of the sun; this app is a great help to photographers. (Score: 81/100)An asterisk* denotes availability on Apple and Android.
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Astronomy Apps, Ranked By Mobilewalla
Apps for Star Gazing, ranked by Mobilewalla
April is Global Astronomy Month. The following apps offer fun and educational ways to learn more about the stars.
Astronomy Apps-Apple
Star Walk - 5 Stars Astronomy Guide ($2.99) - Point the Star Walk app toward the sky, and it will identify the stars, planets and constellations in your line of sight. (Mobilewalla Score: 97/100)
Redshift - Astronomy ($11.99) - An extraordinary 3-D encyclopedia of the vast majority of explored space objects, including 500 galaxies. (Score: 88/100)
Solar Telescope HD ($1.99) - Provides a safe means to observe the sun's changes in real time. (Score: 77/100)
Astronomy 101 By WAGmob ($1.99)* - A learning tool designed to help students of astronomy learn the basics and test their knowledge. (Score: 69/100)
Astronomy Challenge (Free) - Test your knowledge of astronomy with this fun quiz. (Score: 66/100)
Astronomy Apps-Android
Sky Map (Free) - Identify objects in the sky instantly with Sky Map. Simply point your device at the sky, and it will give information about what's above you. (Mobilewalla Score: 98/100)
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ALMA: Extreme, Precision Astronomy in the Desert
The Atacama Large Millimeter/Submillimeter Array, or ALMA, is already producing amazing science results. To see the telescope up close at an altitude of 16,500 feet (5,000 meters) is even more incredible. This high-precision instrument on top of the world is truly one of the most impressive sights that I have ever seen.
So whats the big deal with a millimeter and submillimeter telescope anyway?
PHOTOS: ALMA: New Jewel of the Atacama Desert
ALMA is the most sensitive instrument (by far) to probe this region of the electromagnetic spectrum just a bit longer in wavelength than infrared, yet still quite high energy for most radio astronomers.
It has a special power to see an unbiased sample of the universe. That is, by a combination of an increase of star formation (and thus infrared emission) in the galaxies in the early universe and the way that light is redshifted by the expansion of the universe, you can see a whole swath of the history of galaxies in this band. However, it has traditionally been a difficult place to work since the water molecules in our atmosphere absorb and scatter much of the submillimeter light coming from space.
So, to some of the highest, driest mountain peaks we go.
I came to the Atacama Desert as a guest of the National Radio Astronomy Observatory along with several other science writers from around the United States. At the Operations Support Facility, located at an altitude of 9,500 feet (2,900 meters), we joined an even larger host of journalists from around the world to get a special tour of this remote facility.
The altitude was already wearing on a few of us that are used to sea level, especially when lugging around laptops and camera bags. We had a safety briefing before our trip to the high site where we were instructed on the use of our oxygen bottles and informed that a team of paramedics would be traveling with us to the high site, or Array Operations Site. This was about to get real.
ANALYSIS: ALMA Inauguration: Journey to the Atacama
Despite the occasional dizziness and mild headache once we reached the array, I actually jumped up and down and squealed with excitement upon seeing it in person. There were 54 dishes on site from North America, Europe, and East Asia, all built to the same precise performance specifications but each looking a little bit different. The surface accuracy of the gleaming 12-meter wide dishes is the width of a human hair, and the drives and motors that move them must point to an object with 0.6 arcseconds of accuracy. (Thats like pointing accurately at a single person in Charlottesville, Virginia, from St. Louis. Trust me, thats a LONG drive.) Seeing the arrays in person was beautiful.
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Meet Research Luminaries at Celebration of Harvard Astronomy
More than a century, Harvard astronomers have delved into some of the most compelling puzzles in the cosmos. From the successful hunt for alien worlds to the surprise discovery of dark energy, Harvard researchers and their students have made a bold imprint on the field.
At the same time, the Harvard Department of Astronomy has upheld a century-old tradition of exceptional graduate students and faculty. The departments graduates have become distinguished scientists and leaders in their respective specialties.
Journalists are invited to attend a reunion of Graduate Alumni of Harvard Astronomy. Two spirited panel discussions will focus on areas of astronomical research with seminal Harvard contributions: testing Einsteins theory of gravity, and extrasolar planets and life.
Date: Friday, April 5, 2013 Time: 12:00 - 6:30 p.m. Location: Sheraton Commander Hotel, 16 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA Website: http://www.gsas.harvard.edu/alumni_events/a-celebration-of-harvard-astronomy.php
Participants will include two Nobel laureates and a variety of distinguished researchers, all Harvard alumni. A full list of participants is available at the website above.
This event also will include a luncheon featuring a historical review of astronomy at Harvard by Owen Gingerich, Emeritus Professor of Astronomy and of the History of Science. Tickets to the luncheon are $30 per person.
Conference registration is free to credentialed journalists. To register, visit http://www.events.harvard.edu/profile/web/index.cfm?PKWebId=0x934931a3 and click on the link at upper right.
Journalists can obtain free registration by selecting the PhD/postdoc option at the bottom of the page. Instead of department/degree/year, please list your affiliation.
You are urged to register soon because the registration cap has nearly been reached. Seating is limited, and admission will be on a first come first serve basis.
This conference is hosted by the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences at Harvard University.
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Meet Research Luminaries at Celebration of Harvard Astronomy
Astronomy show geared for children with developmental disabilities
The Raritan Valley Community College (RVCC) Planetarium, 118 Lamington Road, Branchburg, will show The Sky Above, a special astronomy and music show designed for families with children on the Autism spectrum or those with developmental disabilities at 4:30 p.m. on Sunday, April 21. The show will be presented Sunday, April 21.
The sensory-friendly show is appropriate for audiences of all ages. During the show, the doors will remain open so children may freely leave and return if they choose. Lights will be left dim instead of dark, and the audio will be lowered and kept at a consistent level. The show will include music, laser lights, stories and information about the planets, the Moon and constellations.
Tickets are $5 per person, and reservations are strongly suggested. For additional information and to make reservations, call 908-231-8805 or visit http://www.raritanval.edu/planetarium.
Also, check out our mobile site on your smartphones and tablets at http://m.newjerseyhills.com/mobile_adv/.
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Astronomy show geared for children with developmental disabilities
Astronomy : Star tracker
MARK GARLICK
The technology was a complete joy, says Andrea Ghez, thinking back to the mid-1980s and her first time helping out at an observatory. She wanted to learn everything. How to open the dome! How to fill the instrument with liquid nitrogen! Develop the plates! Reduce the data! Coding!
And then there was the science. Ghez did not know much at the start; she was majoring in physics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge, working for an astronomer as her undergraduate research experience. But as she learned more about his research into unusual cosmic sources of X-rays, Ghez became enthralled by the thought that some of those sources might be black holes singular points with a gravitational pull so strong that not even light can escape them. It got me completely fascinated by black holes, she says. By the time she had spent two undergraduate summers working at telescopes in Arizona and Chile, Ghez was hooked. I fell in love with the whole profession.
Now an astronomer at the University of California, Los Angeles, she still feels the same. Her fascination with black holes has led her into a pioneering, decades-long study that has proved the existence of the biggest black hole in our cosmic neighbourhood: the 4.1-million-solar-mass behemoth that lies at the centre of the Milky Way1, 2 (see 'The monster in the middle'). This work earned her a MacArthur 'genius' award in 2008, and half of the Crafoord prize, astronomy's Nobel, in 2012.
Ghez's love of technology helps to explain why her quest has been so fruitful. Most astronomers use only the tools they know, but Ghez is an enthusiastic early adopter first in line to try out cutting-edge detectors and optical techniques that are barely out of the laboratory. I like the risk of a new technology, she says. Maybe it won't work. But maybe it will open a fresh window on the Universe, answering questions you didn't even know to ask, she says. Any time you look, you're astounded!
Reinhard Genzel, a director of the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics in Garching, Germany the co-winner of the 2012 Crafoord prize and Ghez's sharpest competitor on the Galactic Centre work puts it very simply. Andrea, he says, is one of a rare adventurous class.
Ghez's devotion to her work would make her seem fierce if she weren't always smiling, and her sentences didn't keep exploding into verbal capitals. As it is, with her barely controlled curls, straight-across eyebrows and direct gaze, she conveys a cheerful intensity. She doesn't digress when she talks; she focuses. And she has always had a certain determination.
According to Ghez family legend, when 4-year-old Andrea watched the first Apollo Moon landing with her parents in Chicago, Illinois, on 20 July 1969, she announced that she, too, was going to the Moon as an astronaut. True, she also wanted to be a ballerina. But while attending the progressive University of Chicago Laboratory Schools, she says, she became really clear that she loved mathematics and science. That passion took her to MIT in 1983 and then, after her epiphany in the observatory domes, to the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) in Pasadena for graduate studies in astronomy.
Caltech, Ghez explains, had the best toys by far. Among them was the 5-metre Hale Telescope, then one of the world's largest, on California's Palomar Mountain. But the toy that particularly captured Ghez's interest was an experimental speckle imager, an instrument intended to get around astronomers' eternal problem with air. Earth's atmosphere is transparent but turbulent a collection of bubbling 'cells' that are warmer here, cooler there, and constantly moving. Looking at the sky through all that is like looking at pebbles on the bottom of a rippling stream: the light coming into the telescope flickers, dances and fragments, smearing the point-like image of each star into a fuzzy ball.
Speckle imaging freezes the dancing images in place with a camera that captures very short exposures every few milliseconds, taking maybe 10,000 or more shots in total. The result is a sequence of very faint images in which the distorted light from each star produces a scattering of spots: the speckles. Computer processing recombines the speckles into one spot per star. Then all the exposures can be aligned and stacked to produce a final image with the worst of the atmospheric smearing removed.
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