Re:NASA Tech Breathes Life into Potentially Game-Changing An...
by denton-scratch on Saturday October 28, 2023 @12:55PM
(#38051375)
Thank you.
I'm not up to date on telescope design (by at least 40 years), but the Cassegrain design used a spherical mirror, I think. It was used for wide-field astrophotography, and (again, I think) it has a curved focal field, so it needs a curved sensor.
I'm certain that Cassegrain designs have been obsoleted. I'm just bragging about what an anachronism I am.
[Edit] The Cassegrain design also requires a refracting lens in front of the mirror; and the lens is a peculiar shape.
[Edit again] I may be thinking of a Schmitt. I've never played with anything more interesting than a Newtonian; I was just an amateur stargazer. All these fancy designs were made for professional astronomers. For me, they were strictly theoretical.
I'm not up to date on telescope design (by at least 40 years), but the Cassegrain design used a spherical mirror, I think. It was used for wide-field astrophotography, and (again, I think) it has a curved focal field, so it needs a curved sensor.
I'm certain that Cassegrain designs have been obsoleted. I'm just bragging about what an anachronism I am.
[Edit] The Cassegrain design also requires a refracting lens in front of the mirror; and the lens is a peculiar shape.
[Edit again] I may be thinking of a Schmitt. I've never played with anything more interesting than a Newtonian; I was just an amateur stargazer. All these fancy designs were made for professional astronomers. For me, they were strictly theoretical.