Canon Technologies Contribute to Production of Primary Mirror Used in TMT Extremely Large Telescope

[rfdesigner]

Re: Canon Technologies Contribute to Production of Primary Mirror Used in TMT Extremely Large Telesc

With the European ELT at 39m and this one at 30m, all the ~8m class ones are going to look a bit outdated.

This is more in the 10m Keck telescopes (also in Hawaii) class, using segmented mirrors.

"Outdated" is a relative term in astronomy, and mostly refers to instrumentation that is no longer useful. "Smaller" telescopes don't become outdated just because larger ones become availabe - as long as their optics are good and are equipepd with the right instrument, they are still very useful when the "larger" ones are too busy on working on research outside the capabilities of the others - and sometimes larger telescopesa are not a direct replacement because designed for different capabiities - for example no ground telescope nor the future Webb space telescope has the UV light capabilities of Hubble, and even if ground telescope may have equal or even higher resolution, they can't achieve easily the results a space telescope can thanks to working outside most of the atmosphere - true "black" sky and wide field resolution even adaptive optics can't match. That's why some large field Hubble images are still unmatched, even from an "artistic" point of view.

Yes I know.. point is, much of the absolute cutting edge, minute field of view/highest resolution/lowest light level (spctroscopy) work will move to these scopes. the effect will ripple down to smaller and smaller observatories.

I wonder if a few 24" old scopes get passed to the amateur sector....

(I only have 12" windowed newt on a GEM)

 

[lol]

Re: Canon Technologies Contribute to Production of Primary Mirror Used in TMT Extremely Large Telesc

What's the "f" number?

Just looked it up. They decided on f/15, giving a focal length of 450m.

I've tried planetary imaging with 4 to 6m focal length optics before with moderate success, as the collimation wasn't right. I have to wonder what sort of images might be possible if they pointed the TMT at closer subjects such as those.

 

[epsiloneri]

Re: Canon Technologies Contribute to Production of Primary Mirror Used in TMT Extremely Large Telesc

Bah, we all know the quality of those slow mirror tele lenses, I'm waiting for the big white refractor version. f/15 is way too slow for AF. Good with IS though.