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Atmospheric speckle statistics

What you are seeing: a short-exposure stellar image through atmospheric turbulence. The pattern has N∼(D/r0)2N \sim (D/r_0)^2 speckles, each of size ∼λ/D\sim \lambda / D. Re-roll to see different realizations: the ensemble follows negative-exponential intensity statistics.

Figure 1. Short-exposure speckle pattern.
D / r_06.0

WHAT TO TRY

  • Vary each control and watch the rail readouts respond.
  • Compare the diagnostic plot against the live scene.