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In optical astronomy, interferometry is used to combine signals from two or more telescopes to obtain measurements with higher resolution than could be obtained with either telescopes individually. This technique is the basis for astronomical interferometer arrays, which can make measurements of very small astronomical objects if the telescopes ...
At the shorter wavelengths used in infrared astronomy and optical astronomy it is more difficult to combine the light from separate telescopes, because the light must be kept coherent within a fraction of a wavelength over long optical paths, requiring very precise optics. Practical infrared and optical astronomical interferometers have only ...
Interferometer and observing mode Waveband Limiting magnitude Minimum baseline (m) (un-projected) Maximum baseline (m) Approx. no. visibility measurements per year (measurements per night x nights used per year) Max ratio of no. phase / no. amplitude measurements (measure of imaging performance, 0 = none) Accuracy of amplitude 2 measurements
Interferometry typically uses electromagnetic waves and is an important investigative technique in the fields of astronomy, fiber optics, engineering metrology, optical metrology, oceanography, seismology, spectroscopy (and its applications to chemistry), quantum mechanics, nuclear and particle physics, plasma physics, biomolecular interactions ...
The technique was subsequently further developed in very-long-baseline interferometry to obtain baselines of thousands of kilometers and even in optical telescopes. The term aperture synthesis can also refer to a type of radar system known as synthetic aperture radar , but this is technically unrelated to the radio astronomy method and ...
Very-long-baseline interferometry (VLBI) is a type of astronomical interferometry used in radio astronomy. In VLBI a signal from an astronomical radio source, such as a quasar, is collected at multiple radio telescopes on Earth or in space. The distance between the radio telescopes is then calculated using the time difference between the ...
The VLT consists of an arrangement of four large, 8.2-metre (27 ft) diameter telescopes (called Unit Telescopes or UTs) with optical elements that can combine them into an astronomical interferometer (VLTI), which is used to resolve small objects. The interferometer also includes a set of four 1.8-metre (5.9 ft) diameter movable telescopes ...
Illustration of the use of interferometry in the optical wavelength range to determine precise positions of stars. Courtesy NASA/JPL-Caltech. Astrometry is a branch of astronomy that involves precise measurements of the positions and movements of stars and other celestial bodies.