[Laser] Big adaptive optics

[J Forster]

Terry Morris W5TDM wrote:

> Astrovideo is not adaptive optics. It is just an image accumulator, just
> collects a lot of images and then throws away the bad ones, and adds the
> good ones. It does nothing to correct the wavefront in real time. For laser
> communications it would be of no use. Adaptive optics has some active
> optical element that moves to correct out of phase wavefronts. There are
> some adaptive optics avaliable for the amateur astronomer. Made by Santa
> Barbara Instrument group, called the AO-8 and AO-L. The AO-8 is set for a
> target price of under $600, but that doesn't include the CCD camera which is
> not cheap. The CCD camera has two CCD sensors, one big for imaging, and a
> small one for tracking. The adaptive optics use the small CCD detector to
> detect the wavefront and drive the feedback loop to correct the out of phase
> image.

Do you know if the SBIG unit is just a tip-tilt tracker or does higher order
corrections? With a smallish aperture 'scope, say less than 24", tip-tilt and frame
selection might produce some very good imagery.

-John