Inside the Extraordinary World of Telescope Mirrors

🔭Telescope mirrors require extreme precision and accuracy to capture and reflect light effectively.

🚀The mirror cleaning process involves washing, acid etching, and vacuum coating to remove contaminants and apply a new reflective coating.

🌌Observatories like the Extremely Large Telescope and the Very Large Telescope use large mirrors to gather and focus light for scientific research.

🌀Mirror stability is crucial for maintaining image quality, with active optics compensating for changes in temperature and gravity.

💡The thickness of the reflective coating on a telescope mirror is only around 0.1 micron, or 1/10,000th of a millimeter.

How often are telescope mirrors recoated?

—Telescope mirrors are recoated every two to three years to maintain their reflectivity and optimize performance.

Do dust and contaminants affect the image quality?

—Dust and contaminants on telescope mirrors do not affect the optics or image quality, but they reduce the brightness of the image over time.

Why are radio telescopes larger than optical telescopes?

—Radio telescopes collect longer wavelengths and require larger dish sizes to effectively capture and focus radio waves.

What is active optics?

—Active optics is a method used to compensate for mirror deformations caused by changes in temperature and gravity, ensuring optimal image stability.

How thick is the coating on a telescope mirror?

—The reflective coating on a telescope mirror is only around 0.1 micron, or 1/10,000th of a millimeter in thickness.

00:00Video introduces the fascinating world of telescope mirrors and the precision needed for effective light capture.

04:23Telescope mirrors are cleaned, stripped, and undergo a vacuum coating process for optimal reflectivity.

08:43Radio telescopes and optical telescopes serve different purposes, with radio telescopes requiring larger dish sizes for capturing long wavelengths.

10:45Mirror stability is crucial, with active optics compensating for mirror deformations caused by temperature and gravity changes.

11:12Telescope mirrors have a reflective coating with a thickness of around 0.1 micron, equivalent to 1/10,000th of a millimeter.