A group of researchers at Cambridge University and the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena reportedly released the sharpest images of space ever taken. According to the team, the images are as good as those taken by the Hubble Space Telescope. More over, the Earth-based camera used to take them is 50,000 times cheaper than Hubble. But, Hubble scientists have fired back with a set of images they claim show their space telescope is the better instrument.

What exactly is meant by the “Cheaper” or “Sharpest” image of space?

Astronomers measure such resolution in angular units known as ‘arc seconds’ (as seen from earth, a 2 kilometer wide crater on the surface of the moon measure about 1 arc second). The resolution of a Telescope is usually measured in fractions of arc second and the smaller the better.

How did the Lucky Camera do?

The ‘Lucky camera’ was able to resolve down to about 50 milliarcseconds, according to Craig Mackay, Cambridge astronomer who helped to develop it. By comparison, the Hubble’s cameras usually operate around the 100 milliarcseconds.

How was Lucky Camera able to do it?

The Luck camera works by taking a large number of images very quickly. The speed helps to correct for the twinkle of the star light as it passes through the atmosphere. A computer then adds all the best images together to create a single, super-clear image. The camera’s big innovation is a detector with a very low interference from noise, which makes sure that the individual images are clean enough to be added atop one another.

The end pictures are still sharper.

The Lucky camera can only reach its optimum resolution when looking in very narrow fields of view at fairly bright objects. The small field of view allows the camera to snap the photos quickly, and brightness means fewer pictures are needed for a good view. For larger, less bright objects, the Hubble still wins. The Luck camera really is an innovative new camera design with exciting potential for taking some really sharp pictures. But it’s not going to replace the Hubble.

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