Cooler than Hubble: Large binocular telescope captured Io in unprecedented detail.

This is a record quality for ground-based observatories.

It is generally accepted that ground-based telescopes are inferior to space observatories, which have the main advantage of being free from interference created by the earth’s atmosphere and radiation from our planet. However, the development of modern technologies makes it possible to continuously improve the equipment of ground-based telescopes, and they can compete with their space “colleagues” on equal terms, and sometimes even outperform them.

The real breakthrough was made by the team at the Large Binocular Telescope (LBT), which is operated by the University of Arizona. It resembles a giant binocular with two 8-meter mirrors. A recent upgrade allowed scientists to use LBT to obtain the most detailed image of Jupiter's moon Io among all ground-based telescopes. Previously, such image quality could only be obtained using spacecraft operating directly in the system of the giant planet.

The SHARK-VIS tool helped achieve such detail, as well as an adaptive optics system that compensates for the smallest noise created by a turbulent atmosphere. The SHARK-VIS camera itself additionally clears the image of noise and takes a series of images that are processed to eliminate distortion. Such multiple filtering allows achieving unprecedented detail and provides new opportunities in observational astronomy.

Scientists are already preparing for publication the first studies on volcanism on Io, based on LBT images. In particular, they were able to capture changes occurring around a pair of volcanic regions near the moon's equator. The images show lava deposits coated with lighter sulfur dioxide.

On Io, features up to 80 kilometers in size can now be seen using LBT. This is equivalent to photographing a 2 centimeter coin from a distance of 160 kilometers.