Neptune looks extremely clear and very blue in these new images

Several billion miles from Earth, Neptune seems particularly sharp in a set of new images captured by one of the world's most powerful telescopes.

Located in Chile, the Very Large Telescope of the European Southern Observatory (VLT) uses what is called laser tomography to capture test images of the planet and surrounding star clusters .

The telescope's Multi Unit Spectroscopic Explorer (MUSE) instrument works with what is known as the GALACSI Adaptive Optics Module. 19659004] This allows the telescope to correct turbulence at different altitudes in the atmosphere, resulting in incredibly clear and sharply captured images of the Earth.

MUSE is the first instrument to benefit from two adaptive optical modes: wide and narrow field. The narrow field mode is what generates these incredibly sharp images of Neptune – it corrects almost all of the turbulence above the telescope, but only on a smaller section of the sky.

You do not know how to visualize the difference? Here is an idea of ​​what the planet looks like through the telescope with and without adaptive optics.

The right image is without the adaptive optics system in operation and the left one after the activation of adaptive optics.

Image: ESO / P. Weilbacher (AIP)

ESO says these images are sharper than those taken from Neptune with the Hubble Space Telescope. Here is a comparison between the VLT and the Hubble, which captured an outstanding image of Neptune, but it is undeniably less clear.

The right image is a comparable image of the NASA / ESA Hubble Space Telescope. Note that the two images were not taken at the same time so do not show the same surface characteristics.

Image: ESO / P. Weilbacher (AIP) / NASA, ES

And just for fun, here's how detailed the VLT images are from the surrounding star clusters.

The left image is of MUSE in wide field mode, without the adaptive optical system in operation and the central panel is an enlargement of a small part of this view. The right image is the Narrow Field Mode view of MUSE when Adaptive Optics is enabled

Image: ESO / S. Kammann (LJMU)

Several Billions of Miles in Distance and L & # 39; 39, brisk air. While you're there, why not, the moon of Saturn just as sharp?