10
votes
Accepted
Why are telescope mirrors made of glass?
you are partially correct. Glass is used for several reasons. It is a very stable material and will hold its shape well for thousands of years. Glass can also be polished to a high degree of accuracy ...
- 4,336
7
votes
Why telescope mirror glass shipped as randomly broken chunks of a constant size in cardboard boxes?
The material used for the mirror is indeed E6 Borosilicate manufactured by Ohara corporation as pointed out by @notovny. The fabrication process of a borosilicate glass honeycomb mirror has remained ...
- 400
6
votes
How is it ensured that a parabolic shape forms while polishing a telescope mirror?
How is it ensured that a parabolic shape forms while polishing a telescope mirror?
While a spherical shape is fairly easy to abtain, a parabolic shape definitely isn't!
It's a combination of special ...
- 17.5k
6
votes
Why are telescope mirrors made of glass?
The accepted answer is correct as far as it goes but to add a bit of why for the claim:
jmh> "Glass can also be polished to a high degree of accuracy without having defects"
Comes down to glass ...
- 433
5
votes
Why are telescope mirrors made of glass?
Why are telescope mirrors made of glass?
They are not always made of glass. In situations where mass counts and thermal variations can be large, optical telescope mirrors are sometimes made out of ...
- 32.4k
4
votes
Need advice on mirror-making for a home-made amateur reflector
Here's what I've learned from making telescope mirrors.
Start with a mirror that's of a reasonable size and curvature. It is definitely possible to begin with a 12" f/5 mirror, but the problem is you ...
- 17.5k
4
votes
Need advice on mirror-making for a home-made amateur reflector
I second the comment about Texereau -- originally written in French; it's the best, bar none. You won't need anything else.
Remember the old adage that is quicker to make a 4" mirror and then an 8" ...
- 1,536
2
votes
Accepted
Why is this telescope so short? How hard is it to make such a fast primary?
I don't have enough room in the comments for this, so I'm writing here, although it's probably not a true answer since I know nothing about that particular telescope.
Anyway, if you look at many SCT ...
- 17.5k
1
vote
Why are these telescope mirror makers not upside down? (Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope)
I think this seems legit.
Why not?
- 149
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