[img]http://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/screen/potw1136a.jpg[/img]
[quote]
On Thursday 18 August, the sky above the Allgäu Public Observatory in southwestern Bavaria was an amazing sight, with the night lit up by two very different phenomena: one an example of advanced technology, and the other of nature’s dramatic power.
As ESO tested the new Wendelstein laser guide star unit by shooting a powerful laser beam into the atmosphere, one of the region’s intense summer thunderstorms was approaching — a very visual demonstration of why ESO’s telescopes are in Chile, and not in Germany. Heavy grey clouds threw down bolts of lightning as Martin Kornmesser, visual artist for the ESO outreach department, took timelapse photographs of the test for ESOcast 34. With purely coincidental timing this photograph was snapped just as lightning flashed, resulting in a breathtaking image that looks like a scene from a science fiction movie. Although the storm was still far from the observatory, the lightning appears to clash with the laser beam in the sky.
Laser guide stars are artificial stars created 90 kilometres up in the Earth’s atmosphere using a laser beam. Measurements of this artificial star can be used to correct for the blurring effect of the atmosphere in astronomical observations — a technique known as adaptive optics. The Wendelstein laser guide star unit is a new design, combining the laser with the small telescope used to launch it in a single modular unit, which can then be placed onto larger telescopes.
The laser in this photograph is a powerful one, with a 20-watt beam, but the power in a bolt of lightning peaks at a trillion (one million million) watts, albeit for just a fraction of a second! Shortly after this picture was taken the storm reached the observatory, forcing operations to close for the night. While we may have the ability to harness advanced technology for devices such as laser guide stars, we are still subject to the forces of nature, not least among them the weather!
[/quote]
[url]http://www.eso.org/public/images/potw1136a/[/url]
AWESOME. I FUCKING WANT TO HAVE SEX WITH YOU, SCIENCE.
Holy shit that looks amazing.
I was expecting something about electolaser weapons, this is awesome too though.
Banned in Australia.
No, really, people kept trying to blind pilots from their backyard.
[editline]12th September 2011[/editline]
What kind of person sees a plane and thinks "Aw fuck me mate, I need a bloody powerful laser to blind that bastard!"
That is a goddamn perfect photo.
:science:!
I wish it was a bigger photo, I need a new wallpaper.
Dear science,
Please stop before you kill us all
Love,
Us
[QUOTE=Novangel;32234893]Dear science,
Please stop before you kill us all
Love,
Us[/QUOTE]
I wouldn't mind dying if it looked this awesome.
[QUOTE=Contag;32234870]Banned in Australia.
No, really, people kept trying to blind pilots from their backyard.
[editline]12th September 2011[/editline]
What kind of person sees a plane and thinks "Aw fuck me mate, I need a bloody powerful laser to blind that bastard!"[/QUOTE]
Unfortunately its a problem everywhere, its pretty fucking dangerous.
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iI7Qq1mYQlI[/media]
[QUOTE=sp00ks;32234919]I wouldn't mind dying if it looked this awesome.[/QUOTE]
True dat.
[QUOTE=Lyoko774;32234892]:science:!
I wish it was a bigger photo, I need a new wallpaper.[/QUOTE]
Pic is 1280x795 if anyone's got a tiny monitor.
[QUOTE]Laser guide stars are artificial stars created 90 kilometres up in the Earth’s atmosphere using a laser beam.[/QUOTE]
Artificial stars? That sounds fucking awesome!
ion cannon with lightning
Interracial.
[editline]11th September 2011[/editline]
Sexy
[QUOTE=Contag;32234870]Banned in Australia.
No, really, people kept trying to blind pilots from their backyard.
[editline]12th September 2011[/editline]
What kind of person sees a plane and thinks "Aw fuck me mate, I need a bloody powerful laser to blind that bastard!"[/QUOTE]
Class 2 and below lasers are allowed in the UK (same as the aussies), but it's still a crime to point it at planes. Here in the south they send up rigged planes so when someone shines a laser at them they can pinpoint who's doing it using trigonometry and stuff and nick 'em :v:
[QUOTE=hikula;32235001]Artificial stars? That sounds fucking awesome![/QUOTE]It's not actually a star, it's just something of a known brightness so they can calibrate the telescope.
[QUOTE=Novangel;32234893]Dear science,
Please stop before you kill us all
Love,
Us[/QUOTE]
*points at Glados Avatar and doesn't stop laughing*
When I first saw the picture I was hoping they had found a way to make ligthning using lasers, I was very disappointed when I read the article
[QUOTE=Murkat;32234966]Pic is 1280x795 if anyone's got a tiny monitor.[/QUOTE]
Thanks, it fits perfectly!
[QUOTE=carcarcargo;32235792]When I first saw the picture I was hoping they had found a way to make ligthning using lasers, I was very disappointed when I read the article[/QUOTE]You can direct arcing electricity with a laser, actually.
Why is the laser visible? Something screwy must be going on if it's scattering quickly enough to be easily seen on camera.
[QUOTE=catbarf;32235843]Why is the laser visible? Something screwy must be going on if it's scattering quickly enough to be easily seen on camera.[/QUOTE]It's a long exposure photo, that's the only way you can photograph lightning.
[QUOTE=Marik Bentusi;32235722]*points at Glados Avatar and doesn't stop laughing*[/QUOTE]
Shhh
Can't imagine this being used as a weapon.
You fucked with the wrong nordic god
[QUOTE=zzaacckk;32236758]Can't imagine this being used as a weapon.[/QUOTE]
Because it can't
thanks fresh air tumblr!
[QUOTE=Lyoko774;32234892]:science:!
I wish it was a bigger photo, I need a new wallpaper.[/QUOTE]
1920x1080
[URL=http://imgur.com/RKoQZ][IMG]http://i.imgur.com/RKoQZ.jpg[/IMG][/URL]
[QUOTE=Region;32239510]1920x1080
[URL=http://imgur.com/RKoQZ][IMG]http://i.imgur.com/RKoQZ.jpg[/IMG][/URL][/QUOTE]
I just found my new desktop background!
Thanks.
It's just a picture of lightning with a red line across it, not that exciting
Sorry, you need to Log In to post a reply to this thread.