8.4-m Mirror Blank for Large Binocular Telescope

2. 8.4-m Mirror Blank for Large Binocular Telescope

3. Polishing one LBT 8.4-m mirror

4. TELESCOPES Palomar 200-in

5. The Electromagnetic Spectrum

6. Functions of Telescopes • Collect more light --- depends on (diam)2 • Resolve sources better (see more detail) • Magnify images

7. Telescope “Objectives”: Specially Shaped Main Optical Element Purpose: form an accurate representation of original scene at a “focus” • Lens ---> “refracting” telescope • Mirror ---> “reflecting” telescope

8. Refraction: Bending of Light Rays at a Glass/Air Interface

9. Reflection from a Smooth Surface

10. Refracting Telescope Minimum 2 lenses needed for visual use Place detector here

11. Image formation (Java demo)

12. Reflecting Telescopes

13. ReflectingTelescope Designs

14. “Catadioptric” (Lens+Mirror) Design

15. Image Inversion in Simple Telescope

16. Telescope Performance Characteristics • Focal Ratio (f/ number) • Magnification ("power") • Field of view • Light Gathering Power • Resolution

17. Focal Ratio • f/ number = Obj FL / Obj Diam • Smaller numbers give more concentrated light in focal plane (better for faint extended objects); allow shorter exposures with film/electronic detectors • Higher numbers have better resolution; better for high magnification (e.g. for planets)

18. Magnification • Defined to be ratio of apparent angular size of image to original angular size (without telescope) • Mag = FL (telescope) / FL (eyepiece) • For Celestrons, Mag = 2034 mm/FLE (mm) • Moderate magnifications (<150) best

19. Field of View • True angular diameter -- i.e. as viewed without telescope -- of field visible in eyepiece. • Usually quoted in degrees or minutes of arc • Depends on eyepiece used • Is smaller for higher magnification with given telescope

20. Light Gathering Power • Most important attribute of telescope • Light collected is proportional to the area of the objective, or to Dobj2 • If the pupil diameter of your eye is 5mm, an 8" telescope collects (203/5)2 = 1600x more light

21. AGAIN, JONES' SNEAKY COLLEAGUES AIMED THE TELESCOPE AT THE SUN

22. Table by D. Haworth

23. Table by D. Haworth

24. Image Quality (Resolution) • Design optics to reduce "aberrations" -- e.g. chromatic, spherical, etc. • Optical figuring to intended shape: must be better than “1/4 wavelength” • Larger telescopes better because of “diffraction” of light waves • Turbulence in air strongly affects image blur. “Seeing” = size of blur.

25. Chromatic Aberration (present in any refracting element)

26. Spherical "Aberration"

27. Parabola: perfect paraxial focus

28. Parabola: "coma" aberration off-axis

29. Longer focal lengths reduce chromatic & spherical aberration (Hevelius, ca. 1650)

30. “Schmidt-Cassegrain” design uses a thin refractive corrector to eliminate spherical aberration from a spherically-shaped primary

31. 8.4-m Mirror Blank for Large Binocular Telescope

32. Polishing one LBT 8.4-m mirror

33. “Diffraction” of Light Waves Ideal case Real waves

35. “Seeing” Caused by Atmospheric Turbulence

36. Video of enlarged image of bright star in a large telescope. Image size/motion caused by Earth’s atmosphere.

37. Telescope Designs: A Multitude • Optical design • Mounting design • Equatorial • Altitude-Azimuth

40. McCormick 26-in Refractor, Equatorial Mount

41. McCormick 26-in Lens (Doublet)

42. 200-in Dedication (1948) (Largest equatorial mount for optical telescope; "horseshoe")

43. Astronomer in 200-in Prime Focus Cage

44. Celestron CPC-800 Schmidt-Cassegrain (Alt-Az Mount Shown)

49. Galileo Refracting Telescope (1610)

50. Reflecting Telescope (Gregory, Newton)