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Own Weight Flexure and Figure Control of Telescope Mirrors

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Astronomical Optics and Elasticity Theory

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Abstract

Foucault solved the problem of maintaining a mirror with a high reflective coating by introducing glass mirrors, which then can be easily re-silvered after chemical removal of the tarnished coating. This ended the era of speculum metal mirrors which required, when tarnished, a repolishing within a seeing limited – or diffraction limited – criterion. The chemical process was later replaced by the vacuum deposition process by J. Strong (cf. Sect. 1.1.5).

The next problems for the primary mirror of large telescopes were to minimize their elastic deflection under gravity – or own weight deformation – and also that resulting from thermal gradients. This latter problem was appropriately solved by the inventions and developments of low expansion materials such as Pyrex, Sitall, fused silica, vitrocerams, and silicon carbide.

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  1. Technopôle Château Gombert, Observatoire Astronomique Marseille Provence (OAMP), 38 rue Frédéric Joliot-Curie, 13388, Marseille CX 13, France

    Gérard René Lemaitre

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Lemaitre, G. (2009). Own Weight Flexure and Figure Control of Telescope Mirrors. In: Astronomical Optics and Elasticity Theory. Astronomy and Astrophysics Library. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-68905-8_8

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