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Segmented mirror

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505: 449: 20: 521: 362: 344: 329: 493: 421: 435: 176: 103: 133:. Using a monolithic mirror much larger than 5 meters is prohibitively expensive due to the cost of both the mirror, and the massive structure needed to support it. A mirror beyond that size would also sag slightly under its own weight as the telescope was rotated to different positions, changing the precision shape of the surface. Segments are also easier to fabricate, transport, install, and maintain over very large monolithic mirrors. 936: 960: 912: 111: 948: 924: 232:(SALT) is a 10-meter telescope dedicated on spectroscopy for most of its observing time. It shares similarities with the Hobby-Eberly Telescope and also consists of 91 hexagonal mirror segments, each 1 meter across, resulting in a total hexagonal mirror of 11.1 m by 9.8 m. It is located close to the town of 219:
at an altitude of 2,026 m (6,647 ft). Its primary mirror is constructed from 91 hexagonal segments. The telescope's main mirror is fixed at a 55 degree angle and can rotate around its base. A target is tracked by moving the instruments at the focus of the telescope; this allows access to about 70–81%
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with segmented mirrors also exhibit diffraction spikes due to diffraction from the mirrors' edges. As before, two spikes are perpendicular to each edge orientation, resulting in six spikes (plus two fainter ones due to the spider supporting the secondary mirror) in photographs taken by the
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Segmented mirrors do have the drawback that each segment may require some precise asymmetrical shape, and rely on a complicated computer-controlled mounting system. All of the segments also cause
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during the 1980s, and since then all the necessary technologies have spread worldwide to the point that essentially all future large optical telescopes plan to use segmented mirrors.
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can not be constructed larger than about eight meters in diameter. The largest monolithic mirrors in use are currently the two primary mirrors of the
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of China. It consists of two rectangular mirrors, made up of 24 and 37 segments, respectively. Each hexagonal segment is 1.1 metre in size.
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Bonoli, F. "Guido Horn d'Arturo and the first multi-mirror telescopes: 1932-1952." Memorie della Societa Astronomica Italiana 89 (2018): 448.
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is to be built at the Mauna Kea Observatories in Hawaii, though construction is on hold. This will use 492 hexagonal segments. The
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will be the largest of all three, using a total of 798 segments for its primary mirror. Its first light is expected for 2027.
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There is a technological limit for primary mirrors made of a single rigid piece of glass. Such non-segmented, or
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will be the next generation of segmented-mirror telescopes and are planned to be commissioned in the 2020s. The
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sector to minimize the size of the optical components. A partial reflective segmented mirror array is used by
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Edges of the JWST primary mirror segments and spider colour-coded with their corresponding diffraction spikes
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uses a total of 36 segmented mirrors. With a primary mirror of 10.4 m (34 ft), it is currently the
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in the world use segmented primary mirrors. These include, but are not limited to the following telescopes:
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uses seven large segments and is either grouped with segmented mirrors telescopes or its own category. The
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of the sky at its location and a single target can be tracked for up to two hours.
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to out-couple the light from their light guides, which is used as an optical
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is an array of smaller mirrors designed to act as segments of a single large
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at an elevation of 4,145 meters (13,600 ft) near the summit of
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Early segmented mirror, built out of 61 hexagonal segments in 1952.
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Array of smaller mirrors designed to act as one large curved mirror
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to a precise shape and actively aligned by a computer-controlled
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Another application for segmented mirrors can be found in the
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The Keck II telescope showing the segmented primary mirror
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Large Sky Area Multi-Object Fibre Spectroscopic Telescope
642:"The endless mantra: Innovation at the Keck Observatory" 211:(HET) is a 9.2-meter (30-foot) telescope located at the 900: 158: 244:, the national optical observatory of South Africa. 148: 886:. Springer Science+Business Media. pp. 61–72. 798:"Six JWST Mirror Segments to Begin Cryogenic Tests" 223: 63:. To function, all the mirror segments have to be 498:The first JWST deep field with diffraction spikes 972: 882:. In Foy, Renaud; Foy, François-Claude (eds.). 619:"Keck telescope science kit fact sheet, Part 1" 540:List of largest optical reflecting telescopes 377: 291: 51:or asymmetric (if they are part of a larger 247: 591: 202: 809: 751:Southern African Large Telescope website 240:, South Africa. It is a facility of the 174: 109: 101: 18: 973: 877: 693: 640:Bobra, Monica Godha (September 2005). 242:South African Astronomical Observatory 71:system using actuators built into the 786:Giant telescope begins scouring space 639: 621:. SCI Space Craft International. 2009 471:Diffraction spike § Segmented mirrors 463: 284:is a survey telescope located in the 88:Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory 592:Nickerson, Colin (5 November 2007). 576: 574: 300:were mostly fabricated in 2011. The 23:Size comparison of primary mirrors. 13: 427:European Extremely Large Telescope 402:European Extremely Large Telescope 262:Roque de los Muchachos Observatory 260:optical telescope, located at the 170: 159:Telescopes using segmented mirrors 14: 997: 871: 773:Tests begin on Canaries telescope 571: 252:Also known as the GranTeCan, the 236:in the semi-desert region of the 958: 946: 934: 922: 910: 800:news.softpedia.com 14 April 2011 519: 510:JWST image of the spiral galaxy 503: 491: 469:This section is an excerpt from 447: 433: 419: 367:Segment after being coated with 360: 342: 327: 230:Southern African Large Telescope 224:Southern African Large Telescope 850: 828: 810:Margetta, Robert (2021-09-08). 803: 791: 779: 765: 739: 714: 702:. Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory 687: 633: 611: 585: 556: 296:The 18 mirror segments of the 187:are the most prominent of the 97: 1: 880:"Segmented Mirror Telescopes" 550: 78:The concept was pioneered by 47:. The segments can be either 981:Optical telescope components 694:Yarris, Lynn (Winter 1992). 140:effects in the final image. 7: 533: 10: 1002: 484:James Webb Space Telescope 468: 390:extremely large telescopes 381: 378:Next-generation telescopes 320:James Webb Space Telescope 298:James Webb Space Telescope 292:James Webb Space Telescope 165:largest optical telescopes 545:Cherenkov Telescope Array 384:Extremely large telescope 275: 127:Large Binocular Telescope 455:Giant Magellan Telescope 394:Giant Magellan Telescope 334:Mirror segments made of 254:Canaries Great Telescope 248:Gran Telescopio Canarias 92:University of California 514:with diffraction spikes 318:Mirror segments of the 189:Mauna Kea Observatories 884:Optics in Astrophysics 878:Nelson, Jerry (2005). 675:Cite journal requires 441:Thirty Meter Telescope 398:Thirty Meter Telescope 312:on December 25, 2021. 209:Hobby-Eberly Telescope 203:Hobby-Eberly Telescope 180: 118: 107: 36: 647:. MIT. Archived from 410:Conceptual images of 382:Further information: 178: 113: 105: 61:reflecting telescopes 22: 700:Science@Berkeley Lab 563:W. Patrick McCray - 213:McDonald Observatory 55:). They are used as 722:"tooz technologies" 310:Guiana Space Centre 304:was launched by an 117:'s segmented mirror 80:Guido Horn D'Arturo 73:mirror support cell 53:parabolic reflector 594:"Long time no see" 464:Diffraction spikes 181: 123:monolithic mirrors 119: 108: 37: 31:and arranged in a 893:978-1-4020-3437-4 747:"Mirror Segments" 264:on the island of 145:augmented reality 25:Segmented mirrors 993: 963: 962: 961: 951: 950: 949: 939: 938: 937: 927: 926: 915: 914: 913: 906: 897: 866: 865: 864:. 16 March 2022. 854: 848: 847: 845: 843: 832: 826: 825: 823: 822: 807: 801: 795: 789: 783: 777: 776:BBC 14 July 2007 769: 763: 762: 760: 758: 743: 737: 736: 734: 733: 718: 712: 711: 709: 707: 691: 685: 684: 678: 673: 671: 663: 661: 659: 653: 646: 637: 631: 630: 628: 626: 615: 609: 608: 606: 604: 589: 583: 578: 569: 565:Giant telescopes 560: 523: 507: 495: 451: 437: 423: 364: 346: 331: 84:Dr. Jerry Nelson 41:segmented mirror 1001: 1000: 996: 995: 994: 992: 991: 990: 971: 970: 969: 959: 957: 947: 945: 935: 933: 921: 911: 909: 901: 894: 874: 869: 856: 855: 851: 841: 839: 834: 833: 829: 820: 818: 808: 804: 796: 792: 784: 780: 770: 766: 756: 754: 745: 744: 740: 731: 729: 720: 719: 715: 705: 703: 692: 688: 676: 674: 665: 664: 657: 655: 651: 644: 638: 634: 624: 622: 617: 616: 612: 602: 600: 590: 586: 579: 572: 561: 557: 553: 536: 531: 530: 527: 524: 515: 508: 499: 496: 474: 466: 461: 460: 459: 458: 457: 452: 444: 443: 438: 430: 429: 424: 415: 414: 386: 380: 375: 374: 373: 372: 371: 365: 357: 356: 347: 339: 338: 332: 323: 322: 302:space telescope 294: 278: 258:world's largest 250: 226: 205: 185:Keck Telescopes 173: 171:Keck Telescopes 161: 100: 17: 12: 11: 5: 999: 989: 988: 983: 968: 967: 955: 943: 931: 919: 899: 898: 892: 873: 872:External links 870: 868: 867: 849: 838:. 11 June 2021 827: 802: 790: 778: 764: 738: 713: 686: 677:|journal= 654:on 5 June 2011 632: 610: 584: 570: 554: 552: 549: 548: 547: 542: 535: 532: 529: 528: 525: 518: 516: 509: 502: 500: 497: 490: 475: 467: 465: 462: 453: 446: 445: 439: 432: 431: 425: 418: 417: 416: 409: 408: 407: 406: 379: 376: 366: 359: 358: 348: 341: 340: 333: 326: 325: 324: 317: 316: 315: 314: 293: 290: 286:Hebei Province 277: 274: 270:Canary Islands 249: 246: 225: 222: 204: 201: 172: 169: 160: 157: 99: 96: 27:are typically 15: 9: 6: 4: 3: 2: 998: 987: 984: 982: 979: 978: 976: 966: 956: 954: 944: 942: 932: 930: 925: 920: 918: 908: 907: 904: 895: 889: 885: 881: 876: 875: 863: 859: 853: 837: 831: 817: 813: 806: 799: 794: 787: 782: 775: 774: 768: 752: 748: 742: 727: 723: 717: 701: 697: 690: 682: 669: 650: 643: 636: 620: 614: 599: 595: 588: 582: 577: 575: 568: 566: 559: 555: 546: 543: 541: 538: 537: 522: 517: 513: 506: 501: 494: 489: 488: 487: 485: 480: 472: 456: 450: 442: 436: 428: 422: 413: 405: 403: 399: 395: 391: 385: 370: 363: 355: 352:tests at the 351: 345: 337: 330: 321: 313: 311: 307: 303: 299: 289: 287: 283: 273: 271: 267: 263: 259: 255: 245: 243: 239: 235: 231: 221: 218: 214: 210: 200: 198: 194: 190: 186: 177: 168: 166: 156: 154: 150: 146: 141: 139: 134: 132: 128: 124: 116: 112: 104: 95: 93: 89: 85: 81: 76: 74: 70: 69:active optics 66: 62: 58: 54: 50: 46: 45:curved mirror 42: 34: 30: 26: 21: 965:Solar System 883: 861: 852: 840:. Retrieved 830: 819:. Retrieved 815: 805: 793: 788:14 July 2007 781: 772: 767: 755:. Retrieved 750: 741: 730:. Retrieved 725: 716: 704:. Retrieved 699: 689: 668:cite journal 656:. Retrieved 649:the original 635: 623:. Retrieved 613: 601:. 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SOAA 388:Three 276:LAMOST 197:Hawaii 929:Stars 652:(PDF) 645:(PDF) 308:from 238:Karoo 888:ISBN 844:2021 816:NASA 759:2013 726:Tooz 708:2009 681:help 660:2009 627:2009 605:2009 412:ELTs 369:gold 354:MSFC 280:The 228:The 207:The 149:tooz 115:SALT 90:and 195:in 977:: 860:. 814:. 749:. 724:. 698:. 672:: 670:}} 666:{{ 596:. 573:^ 486:. 215:, 75:. 39:A 905:: 896:. 846:. 824:. 761:. 735:. 710:. 683:) 679:( 662:. 629:. 607:. 473:.

Index


hexagonal
honeycomb
curved mirror
spherical
parabolic reflector
objectives
reflecting telescopes
polished
active optics
mirror support cell
Guido Horn D'Arturo
Dr. Jerry Nelson
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
University of California


SALT
Large Binocular Telescope
telescopes
diffraction
augmented reality
tooz
smartglass
largest optical telescopes

Keck Telescopes
Mauna Kea Observatories
Mauna Kea
Hawaii

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