Starfire Optical Range ( SOR - Pronounced as an initialism ) is a United States Air Force research laboratory on the Kirtland Air Force Base in Albuquerque , New Mexico . Its primary duty, according to the official website, is to "develop and demonstrate optical wavefront control technologies." The range is a secure lab facility and is a division of the Directed Energy Directorate of the Air Force Research Laboratory .
33-527: Starfire or Starfires may refer to: Military [ edit ] F-94 Starfire , an American fighter aircraft Starfire Optical Range , a United States Air Force research laboratory Comics [ edit ] Starfire (Teen Titans) (1980), alien superheroine and member of the Teen Titans, appearing in DC Comics Starfire (1968),
66-628: A refracting telescope . The actual inventor is unknown but word of it spread through Europe. Galileo heard about it and, in 1609, built his own version, and made his telescopic observations of celestial objects. The idea that the objective , or light-gathering element, could be a mirror instead of a lens was being investigated soon after the invention of the refracting telescope. The potential advantages of using parabolic mirrors —reduction of spherical aberration and no chromatic aberration —led to many proposed designs and several attempts to build reflecting telescopes . In 1668, Isaac Newton built
99-469: A 1960 novel by Robert Buckner and the basis for the film Moon Pilot Starfire (Paul Preuss novel) , a 1988 science fiction novel by Paul Preuss Starfire , a 1999 science fiction novel by Charles Sheffield Star Fire , a video arcade game from 1979 Music [ edit ] The Starfires , a band from Los Angeles, California The Starfires (Cleveland band) , a band from Cleveland, Ohio Starfire (Jorn album) , 2000 "Starfire",
132-602: A 3.5 meter telescope which is "one of the largest telescopes in the world equipped with adaptive optics designed for satellite tracking" according to the Air Force, a 1.5 meter telescope, and a 1-meter beam director. The purpose of Starfire is to conduct research to use adaptive optics to remove the effects of scintillation ( atmospheric turbulence ). Turbulence interferes with laser beam integrity over distances. Lasers are being used for long-distance high-bandwidth communications and accuracy in air-to-air laser connectivity
165-544: A few bands can be observed from the Earth's surface. These bands are visible – near-infrared and a portion of the radio-wave part of the spectrum. For this reason there are no X-ray or far-infrared ground-based telescopes as these have to be observed from orbit. Even if a wavelength is observable from the ground, it might still be advantageous to place a telescope on a satellite due to issues such as clouds, astronomical seeing and light pollution . The disadvantages of launching
198-504: A focal point. Optical telescopes are used for astronomy and in many non-astronomical instruments, including: theodolites (including transits ), spotting scopes , monoculars , binoculars , camera lenses , and spyglasses . There are three main optical types: A Fresnel imager is a proposed ultra-lightweight design for a space telescope that uses a Fresnel lens to focus light. Beyond these basic optical types there are many sub-types of varying optical design classified by
231-543: A recreational sports facility in Tukwila, WA Star Fire (wrestler) , Mexican masked professional wrestler Starfire station , a light rail station in Rosemont, CA See also [ edit ] Firestar (disambiguation) Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title Starfire . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change
264-475: A single receiver and records a single time-varying signal characteristic of the observed region; this signal may be sampled at various frequencies. In some newer radio telescope designs, a single dish contains an array of several receivers; this is known as a focal-plane array . By collecting and correlating signals simultaneously received by several dishes, high-resolution images can be computed. Such multi-dish arrays are known as astronomical interferometers and
297-548: A song by DragonForce from Valley of the Damned , 2003 "Starfire", a song by Low from Secret Name , 1999 Starfire (Jaga Jazzist album) Starfire (Caitlyn Smith album) , 2018 Computing and technology [ edit ] Starfire video prototype , an "office of the future" prototype by Sun Microsystems Starfire, the code name for the Sun Enterprise 10000 computer by Sun Microsystems Starfire,
330-625: A space telescope include cost, size, maintainability and upgradability. Some examples of space telescopes from NASA are the Hubble Space Telescope that detects visible light, ultraviolet, and near-infrared wavelengths, the Spitzer Space Telescope that detects infrared radiation, and the Kepler Space Telescope that discovered thousands of exoplanets. The latest telescope that was launched was
363-403: Is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Telescope A telescope is a device used to observe distant objects by their emission, absorption , or reflection of electromagnetic radiation . Originally, it was an optical instrument using lenses , curved mirrors , or a combination of both to observe distant objects – an optical telescope . Nowadays, the word "telescope"
SECTION 10
#1732772517905396-412: Is called an observatory . Radio telescopes are directional radio antennas that typically employ a large dish to collect radio waves. The dishes are sometimes constructed of a conductive wire mesh whose openings are smaller than the wavelength being observed. Unlike an optical telescope, which produces a magnified image of the patch of sky being observed, a traditional radio telescope dish contains
429-526: Is defined as a wide range of instruments capable of detecting different regions of the electromagnetic spectrum , and in some cases other types of detectors. The first known practical telescopes were refracting telescopes with glass lenses and were invented in the Netherlands at the beginning of the 17th century. They were used for both terrestrial applications and astronomy . The reflecting telescope , which uses mirrors to collect and focus light,
462-656: Is important for data integrity. Scintillation is also a problem in development of weaponized lasers, such as the airborne laser being developed to intercept intercontinental ballistic missiles . According to an article published on May 3, 2006, in The New York Times , research is being conducted at the laboratory into how to use ground-based lasers to disable satellites ; that is, as an anti-satellite weapon . 34°57′51″N 106°27′45″W / 34.9643°N 106.4626°W / 34.9643; -106.4626 This United States military article
495-528: Is now also being applied to optical telescopes using optical interferometers (arrays of optical telescopes) and aperture masking interferometry at single reflecting telescopes. Radio telescopes are also used to collect microwave radiation , which has the advantage of being able to pass through the atmosphere and interstellar gas and dust clouds. Some radio telescopes such as the Allen Telescope Array are used by programs such as SETI and
528-482: Is possible to make very tiny antenna). The near-infrared can be collected much like visible light; however, in the far-infrared and submillimetre range, telescopes can operate more like a radio telescope. For example, the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope observes from wavelengths from 3 μm (0.003 mm) to 2000 μm (2 mm), but uses a parabolic aluminum antenna. On the other hand,
561-406: Is underway on several 30–40m designs. The 20th century also saw the development of telescopes that worked in a wide range of wavelengths from radio to gamma-rays . The first purpose-built radio telescope went into operation in 1937. Since then, a large variety of complex astronomical instruments have been developed. Since the atmosphere is opaque for most of the electromagnetic spectrum, only
594-581: The Starry Messenger , Galileo had used the Latin term perspicillum . The root of the word is from the Ancient Greek τῆλε, romanized tele 'far' and σκοπεῖν, skopein 'to look or see'; τηλεσκόπος, teleskopos 'far-seeing'. The earliest existing record of a telescope was a 1608 patent submitted to the government in the Netherlands by Middelburg spectacle maker Hans Lipperhey for
627-645: The Arecibo Observatory to search for extraterrestrial life. An optical telescope gathers and focuses light mainly from the visible part of the electromagnetic spectrum. Optical telescopes increase the apparent angular size of distant objects as well as their apparent brightness . For the image to be observed, photographed, studied, and sent to a computer, telescopes work by employing one or more curved optical elements, usually made from glass lenses and/or mirrors , to gather light and other electromagnetic radiation to bring that light or radiation to
660-822: The Earth's atmosphere is opaque to this part of the electromagnetic spectrum. An example of this type of telescope is the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope which was launched in June 2008. The detection of very high energy gamma rays, with shorter wavelength and higher frequency than regular gamma rays, requires further specialization. Such detections can be made either with the Imaging Atmospheric Cherenkov Telescopes (IACTs) or with Water Cherenkov Detectors (WCDs). Examples of IACTs are H.E.S.S. and VERITAS with
693-572: The Spitzer Space Telescope , observing from about 3 μm (0.003 mm) to 180 μm (0.18 mm) uses a mirror (reflecting optics). Also using reflecting optics, the Hubble Space Telescope with Wide Field Camera 3 can observe in the frequency range from about 0.2 μm (0.0002 mm) to 1.7 μm (0.0017 mm) (from ultra-violet to infrared light). With photons of the shorter wavelengths, with
SECTION 20
#1732772517905726-627: The James Webb Space Telescope on December 25, 2021, in Kourou, French Guiana. The Webb telescope detects infrared light. The name "telescope" covers a wide range of instruments. Most detect electromagnetic radiation , but there are major differences in how astronomers must go about collecting light (electromagnetic radiation) in different frequency bands. As wavelengths become longer, it becomes easier to use antenna technology to interact with electromagnetic radiation (although it
759-570: The computer-assisted dispatch system for the New York City Fire Department StarFire (navigation system) , a wide-area differential GPS developed by John Deere's Precision Farming group Other [ edit ] Nuclear fusion , the source of energy for stars Oldsmobile Starfire , an automobile made by Oldsmobile Starfire engine, an adaptation of the Holden straight-six motor Starfire Sports ,
792-460: The first practical reflecting telescope, of a design which now bears his name, the Newtonian reflector . The invention of the achromatic lens in 1733 partially corrected color aberrations present in the simple lens and enabled the construction of shorter, more functional refracting telescopes. Reflecting telescopes, though not limited by the color problems seen in refractors, were hampered by
825-682: The higher frequencies, glancing-incident optics, rather than fully reflecting optics are used. Telescopes such as TRACE and SOHO use special mirrors to reflect extreme ultraviolet , producing higher resolution and brighter images than are otherwise possible. A larger aperture does not just mean that more light is collected, it also enables a finer angular resolution. Telescopes may also be classified by location: ground telescope, space telescope , or flying telescope . They may also be classified by whether they are operated by professional astronomers or amateur astronomers . A vehicle or permanent campus containing one or more telescopes or other instruments
858-405: The link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Starfire&oldid=1230060347 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Starfire Optical Range SOR's optical equipment includes
891-556: The original name of Red Star , a fictional Russian superhero appearing in DC Comics Starfire (Star Hunters) (1976), alien swordswoman appearing in DC Comics Books and games [ edit ] Starfire (board wargame) , a science fiction strategy game by Starfire Design Studio Starfire novel series, in the universe of the wargame, primarily written by Steve White and David Weber Starfire ,
924-624: The rays just a few degrees . The mirrors are usually a section of a rotated parabola and a hyperbola , or ellipse . In 1952, Hans Wolter outlined 3 ways a telescope could be built using only this kind of mirror. Examples of space observatories using this type of telescope are the Einstein Observatory , ROSAT , and the Chandra X-ray Observatory . In 2012 the NuSTAR X-ray Telescope
957-511: The task they perform such as astrographs , comet seekers and solar telescopes . Most ultraviolet light is absorbed by the Earth's atmosphere, so observations at these wavelengths must be performed from the upper atmosphere or from space. X-rays are much harder to collect and focus than electromagnetic radiation of longer wavelengths. X-ray telescopes can use X-ray optics , such as Wolter telescopes composed of ring-shaped 'glancing' mirrors made of heavy metals that are able to reflect
990-519: The technique is called aperture synthesis . The 'virtual' apertures of these arrays are similar in size to the distance between the telescopes. As of 2005, the record array size is many times the diameter of the Earth – using space-based very-long-baseline interferometry (VLBI) telescopes such as the Japanese HALCA (Highly Advanced Laboratory for Communications and Astronomy) VSOP (VLBI Space Observatory Program) satellite. Aperture synthesis
1023-539: The use of fast tarnishing speculum metal mirrors employed during the 18th and early 19th century—a problem alleviated by the introduction of silver coated glass mirrors in 1857, and aluminized mirrors in 1932. The maximum physical size limit for refracting telescopes is about 1 meter (39 inches), dictating that the vast majority of large optical researching telescopes built since the turn of the 20th century have been reflectors. The largest reflecting telescopes currently have objectives larger than 10 meters (33 feet), and work
Starfire - Misplaced Pages Continue
1056-519: Was invented within a few decades of the first refracting telescope. In the 20th century, many new types of telescopes were invented, including radio telescopes in the 1930s and infrared telescopes in the 1960s. The word telescope was coined in 1611 by the Greek mathematician Giovanni Demisiani for one of Galileo Galilei 's instruments presented at a banquet at the Accademia dei Lincei . In
1089-447: Was launched which uses Wolter telescope design optics at the end of a long deployable mast to enable photon energies of 79 keV. Higher energy X-ray and gamma ray telescopes refrain from focusing completely and use coded aperture masks: the patterns of the shadow the mask creates can be reconstructed to form an image. X-ray and Gamma-ray telescopes are usually installed on high-flying balloons or Earth-orbiting satellites since
#904095