Conferences

NAOS - Nasmyth Adaptive Optics System

Gallery: Other Pictures from the VLT

The starburst cluster NGC 3603


	Hubble Space Telescope's Image		NAOS - CONICA (27arcsec FOV)

The images above allows us to compare images of the same object, observed with Hubble and with NAOS. Both images are close to the diffraction limit, but the VLT image shows considerably fainter objects with great sensitivity. This is partly due to the larger mirror, partly because of the longer observing wavelength.

Wavelength:

NAOS-CONICA image: 2.2 µm
HST image: 0.8 µm

BN-Orion (IR WFS) composite H and K

NACO @ VLT
Composite (false-) colour image
of the region around the Becklin-Neugebauer object
(in the Orion Nebula).

Composite Image H, Ks, L' 300s,300s,60s

Galactic Center (Schödel et al., Nature 10/2002)

Ks, 120s, IRWFS

Example: Measurement of the Weight of our Galaxy's Black Hole

(MPEG - 554 ko)

At first, the video shows a synthesis image reconstruction of the movement of the stars along time in the surroubdings of the galactic center. Years are given in the top left corner. The cross at the center of the image is the position of the central galactic black hole.

Then, the area around the black hole is zoomed, in order to track a star close to the black hole. Each cross corresponds to one of the measuring points of the orbit. The measurement of the orbit makes it possible to calculate the weight of the black hole.

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