2.2 The Tools for the Hunt

summary

Large telescopes allow astronomers to see information in great detail. Telescopes’s large collecting mirrors collect information from the earliest moments in the universe.
Professor Ghez conducts her research using the telescopes at Keck Observatory at the summit of Mauna Kea in Hawaii.
To gather high resolution information, Professor Ghez’s work focuses on creating techniques to correct for the distortions caused by the earth’s atmosphere.
In the mid to late 1990’s, a series of military declassifications allowed significant advances in astrophysics. Ghez uses this adaptive optics technology to sharpen the view of the distant universe.