Gemini Adaptive Optics Pages

Adaptive optics (AO) forms an integral part of the Gemini telescopes' current and future suite of instrumentation. The facility AO system, Altair, has been offered at Gemini North since 2003 and is now available for use with both natural and laser guide stars with NIRI and NIFS. At Gemini South, multi-conjugate adaptive optics (MCAO) with Flamingos-2 and the Gemini South Adaptive Optics Imager (GSAOI) will bring uniform, diffraction-limited image quality to arcminute-scale fields of view (see the science case for MCAO). Information on Gemini's current, under-construction, and planned AO capabilities is collected on these pages. The December 2006 special issue of the GeminiFocus newsletter showcases Gemini's AO program and recent AO science results.

Last update May 15, 2006; Rachel Mason