Aviation & Aerospace News

  1. 2023’s Best: Methane Super Emitters, The Valley Of Death, Hidden Cities, And Maple Syrup 12/6/2023

    It’s that time again. Let’s take a look at the most-read articles that appeared on Photonics Online this year. It’s got intrigue, suspense, and surprises. Oh, and infrared, LiDAR, and so much more.

  2. LiDAR Filters The Unsung Hero In Reaching Level 3 Autonomy 11/27/2023

    Mercedes-Benz plans a limited launch of its Drive Pilot system in 2024, the first to market with a Level 3 autonomous driving system. LiDAR is playing an instrumental role in the progression to Level 3 autonomy, aided by the unsung hero: LiDAR filters.

  3. Beyond Iron Dome: Is Defending Against DEWs Possible 11/20/2023

    As of this writing the conflict between Israel and Hamas is approaching 50 days (or 36 years, depending on how you choose to define it). While Hamas most likely doesn’t have directed energy weapons at its disposal several countries do. Is an Iron Dome-like defense system possible for the inevitable day when directed energy weapons are used for an attack?

  4. NIST’s Superconducting Camera 400 Times More Powerful Than Any Other Device Of Its Type 11/2/2023

    Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and their colleagues have built a superconducting camera containing 400,000 pixels — 400 times more than any other device of its type.

  5. Everybody Loves LiDAR 10/27/2023

    LiDAR – is there anything it can’t do? Invented in the 1960s on the heels of the invention of the laser, LiDAR became commercially viable in the late 1980s. Today, it’s omnipresent, allowing us to do things we’ve never seen before in ways we never imagined.

  6. I’m Going As A Nobel Prize Winner For Halloween 10/20/2023

    This year’s batch of Nobel Laureates all seem to be fine scientists, researchers, authors, and leaders who don’t seem to have anything to do with Halloween. But don’t worry, we found some past award winners who do!

  7. Visualizing Combustion Dynamics: NASA And High-Speed Cameras 10/17/2023

    Combustion is a chemical process in which a substance reacts with oxygen to give off heat. Burning a candle, a fire in a fireplace, pressing the gas pedal … these are a few everyday examples of the result of combustion, all of which happen faster than the eye can see. NASA, however, can precisely and accurately study combustion through the use of high-speed cameras.

  8. Using IR At The Border To Fight … The Canadian Cartel? 10/12/2023

    Infrared is used at the border for surveillance, detecting people or vehicles crossing the border, and detecting disguises at security checkpoints. Could it have helped take down the Maple Mafia?

  9. The Wow! Signal: 72 Seconds That Still Remain A Mystery 9/7/2023

    The "Wow! signal" is the name given to a strong and unusual radio signal detected by Dr. Jerry R. Ehman on August 15, 1977. This signal was detected at Ohio State University's Big Ear radio telescope, which was used for the SETI program. The Wow! signal is notable for being one of the most famous and intriguing potential instances of a signal from an extraterrestrial civilization.

  10. Nuclear Dreams: The Race To Build Project Orion 9/6/2023

    ​Project Orion was a conceptual design for a spacecraft propulsion system that was developed during the late 1950s and early 1960s. Ambitious and innovative, the project's goal was to develop a spacecraft capable of carrying humans to distant destinations – including Mars and beyond – using nuclear explosions for propulsion.