Plans for High Resolution Imaging with the VLT

Abstract

Astronomical telescopes have as their main function the collection of radiation of astronomical objects and its concentration in as sharp an image as possible. In the past most astronomers have emphasized the light gathering function as is evidenced by the common characterization of telescopes by their diameter. Only in specialized subfields, like solar and planetary astronomy, has the angular resolution been a prime characteristic. In the recent renewed interest in building large telescopes both light gathering and angular resolution have received major emphasis since it is clear that also in nighttime observations of faint objects both contribute more or less equally to the quality of the results. Improvements in telescopes, seeing management of the telescope, building and site, and sophisticated manipulation of the incident radiation by adaptive optics, interferometry and other techniques have and will result in much improved astronomical observations and hence a better understanding of the universe.