For every star you see when you look up at the night sky, what if there were thousands more hiding in plain sight? 

A few decades ago, our view of space was a bit like watching a fuzzy VHS tape – the shapes were there, but the details were lost. Then over time, we got DVDs, plasma screens, Blu-rays, state-of-the-art TV displays, and 4K streaming. We began to see things much more clearly. 

Now, Aussie researchers are working to capture the universe in breathtaking new detail, thanks to the development of a revolutionary instrument called MAVIS.

For today’s newsletter, we’ll explore how it will work and what scientists hope to learn from it.

MAVIS, which stands for “Multi-Conjugate Adaptive Optics,” has been described as “a next-generation instrument that will deliver the sharpest optical images of the Universe ever achieved from Earth.”

 While MAVIS doesn't physically exist right now, the technology behind it is being developed by an international consortium of researchers, including a team from Macquarie University. This group is continuing to refine the groundbreaking tech, before it’s ready to be installed at the European Southern Observatory’s (ESO) Very Large Telescope in Chile.

Professor Richard McDermid is an astrophysicist at Macquarie University and a key voice behind the MAVIS project. 

He told TDA that at present, even the best telescopes in the world are impacted by atmospheric blurring – a problem MAVIS is designed to solve. 

“ There comes a point when it doesn't matter how big you make your telescope, you just can't get sharper images, and it's because you're looking through [an] atmospheric layer. What MAVIS is trying to do is use technology to correct for the [blurring] effect of Earth's atmosphere,” McDermid said.

MAVIS will reverse the blurring that impacts images captured by other telescopes, “by putting the opposite shape on that mirror, so that after the reflection, the blurring is removed and then updated a thousand times a second,” Professor McDermid explained. 

One of the exciting aspects about this breakthrough is that MAVIS is using the ESO’s pre-existing telescope infrastructure to show us space in more detail.

“MAVIS comes along and makes full use of that infrastructure and adds a new capability. It makes things look a lot closer… We can put [our view of space] under a microscope,” McDermid said. 

 For the average non-astronomer, Hubble and James Webb are probably the big ‘celebrities’ in the world of telescopes. So, what does MAVIS promise to do that Hubble and Webb can’t?

We put this question to Professor McDermid.

He told TDA Hubble is “a fantastic, incredible observatory,” but it’s an aging one. “We're starting to need new capabilities that can build on what Hubble has done.” 

James Webb, meanwhile, looks at “the infrared light that our eyes don't see,” but McDermid says it’s not very good at delivering “those visible wavelengths that our eyes can see”. 

“When we use the two of them together, we get more than the sum of the parts. So, MAVIS is really building on the legacy of Hubble, and it's adding to the value in science that James Webb can bring.”

At Macquarie, your ideas don’t just sit in a classroom – they get multiplied. By top-ranked teachers. By industry connections. By global businesses right on campus. By a community built to help you go further.

From breathing new life into life-saving research, fighting the effects of climate change by designing more liveable cities, and even building tech like MAVIS - the instrument that’s giving us our sharpest view of space yet – Macquarie is where potential meets possibility.

🚀 Keen to learn more about how MAVIS is reshaping our view of the universe? Watch this video here. 

Find out how you could multiply your potential at mq.edu.au/study

That’s YOU to the power of us

MAVIS is more than just advanced optics. It represents years of collaborative research, which is training the next generation of astronomers and engineers. 

“ We have to develop new technology and new techniques,” to take on the big questions about the cosmos.

McDermid  said he’s motivated by the challenging research that will unlock those answers.

It can be overwhelming to think about the infinite universe, but technology like MAVIS can empower us to feel less afraid. 

As somebody who “stares into the abyss on a daily basis,” McDermid admits, “you never really lose that feeling of curiosity about what is there, what is beyond, how does it all work?”

He describes the technology of the MAVIS instrument as a tool that allows us to play an active role in discovering our universe.

“If you're wondering what's up there, you look.” 

Construction of MAVIS is scheduled to begin next year, with the first images expected in 2031.