TABLE OF CONTENTS This chapter contains a selection of rules specifically involving the intersection of the disciplines of astronomy and electro-optics (EO). Sensors frequently look upward, so astronomical objects often define the background for many systems. Moreover, many sensors are specifically designed to detect heavenly bodies, so astronomical relationships define the targets for many sensors.
Over the past few hundred years, astronomy has driven photonics and optics. Likewise, photonics and optics have enabled modern astronomy. The disciplines have been as interwoven as DNA strands. Frequently, key discoveries in astronomy are impossible until photonic technology develops to a level that permits them. Conversely, photonic development often has been funded and refined by the astronomical sciences as well as the military. Military interests have been an important source of new technology that has furthered the application of electro-optics in astronomy. The authors contend that one of the most important contributions of the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) was the advancement of certain photonic technologies that are currently benefiting astronomers. Some of these include adaptive optics, synthetic guide stars, large and sensitive focal planes, advanced materials for astronomical telescopes, new methods of image stabilization, and advanced computers and algorithms for interpreting images distorted by atmospheric effects.
The new millennium will include a host of new-technology telescopes that may surpass space-based observation capabilities (except in the spectral regions where the atmosphere strongly absorbs or scatters). The two Keck 10-m telescopes represent an amazing electro-optical engineering achievement. By employing segmented lightweight mirrors and light-weight structure, and by adjusting...
