Laser Guide Star experiment at CTIO

An orange cone of powerful argon laser light lances into the sky at the Cerro Tololo Interamerican Observatory in February 2001. The test was one of the first in a year-long series preparing for a laser-aided Adaptive Optics system at the Gemini South telescope. The Blanco 4-meter telescope dome and the Milky Way are visible in the background. This image was used on the cover of the NOAO June 2001 Newsletter number 66, and details of the experiment are in the accompanying article (PDF format only).