Posted by
opticsco on Wednesday, April 29, 2009 3:27:17 AM
Telescope Mirror
What are telescope mirrors?
Who was the first to make a telescope mirror? How are they shaped and
why? What is a telescope mirror commonly made of and what makes it
work? Can you make one yourself or is it better to buy one? If you have
questions like these, then follow along as we take a closer look at the
telescope mirror…
What Is A Telescope Mirror?
At the base of a reflector telescope is a primary mirror that’s used to gather and focus light. All celestial objects, including the planets, moon and Sun exert light rays that reach Earth
in a parallel fashion. Because these light rays are parallel to each
other, the reflector telescope’s mirror has a parabolic shape to focus
the light rays back to a single point on the secondary telescope mirror.
The secondary telescope mirror is flat and reflects the light to a focal plane at the side of the top of the telescope tube in the simple Newtonian reflector design.