SBIG AO-8A Adaptive Optics

Product Description

The SBIG AO-8A improves image quality through rapid, precise guiding corrections.  It can correct star motion 10 times per second, which can mitigate slow seeing as well as wind gusts, tracking errors, and other guiding issues.

AO-8A works with STC and Aluma CCD cameras in conjunction with the StarChaser SC-4C autoguider.  It can also work with our legacy cameras with FW8G-Aluma or FW8G-STT self-guided filter wheels.

Note:  When using StarChaser SC-4C with AO, you will need a StarChaser to AO-X/AO-8T Adapter Cable.

AO Results

The images below are actual star images showing the effect of image wander corrected at 1 Hz and 10 Hz:

1 Hz Corrections

10 Hz Corrections

And the resulting size of the star image in a long exposure:

1 Hz Corrections

10 Hz Corrections

Other data gathered by Brad Wallis of JPL (Brad Wallis and Benoit Schillings developed the prototype for the original AO-7) show the the effect of rapid corrections on poor seeing.  At 1 Hz the larger, slower component is reduced, but the amplitude of the jitter remains about the same:

However, at a 5Hz correction rate, the faster jitter is reduced:

And at a 10 Hz correction rate, significant improvement is seen:

The improvement in stellar profiles can also be seen at corrections above 1 Hz.  First by looking at the non-AO guided image:

And comparing the non-AO guided image to the AO guided image there is again significant improvement in the FWHM of the star profile:

Telescope mounts cannot correct faster than about once per second.  The 10Hz rate of the AO will clearly result in improved resolution under the right conditions.