Abstract
At the present time, some astronomical telescopes exist with segmented primary mirrors, as those located in Mauna Kea, Hawai. The Keck telescopes are a classical example. With the purpose of collecting light of weak stellar objects, it is necessary to control the segments of the primary mirror of the telescope, so that whole mirror works as a monolithic mirror. In this paper, it is proposed the subapertures method for the alignment of the segments of the primary mirror. The subapertures method finds tilt, tip, and pistons effects or longitudinal displacements as the defocus error; all of them are necessary to achieve the fitting of a series of measurements. It is shown the experimental results for a parabolic mirror divided in two segments using the proposed method; for this case, the particular equations were developed as well as the necessary software for the alignment of the two parts. The experimental results were obtained in a controlled situation in the laboratory. The alignment process is achieved in a short time, and furthermore is an interactive process.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
