From: Robert J. Bradbury (bradbury@aeiveos.com)
Date: Tue Sep 02 2003 - 09:58:37 MDT
Well astronomers using the European Southern Observatory
have managed to pull a rabbit out of the hat.
Using 3 of their 8.2m telescopes (a total of 633 sq. meters
or 2028 sq. ft of collecting area) over 3 nights they have
managed to receive ~20,000 photons (sufficient to produce
a picture) from Comet Halley which is currently 28 AU from
the sun (about the distance of Neptune).
The magnitude (brightness) of the comet is 28.2 -- that means
it is *really* *really* *really* faint. The limits of human
vision are about magnitude 6.5.
In terms of space flight, this level of astronomy is about in
the class of landing a man on the moon.
There are days when the things that humans can accomplish
just blow me away.
Robert
1. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2003/09/030902073128.htm
2. http://www.eso.org/outreach/press-rel/pr-2003/phot-27-03.html
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