Discover
/
Article

Hubble’s Primary Mirror has the Wrong Shape

AUG 01, 1990

When the two principal mirrors of the Hubble Space Telescope were being ground, polished and coated a decade ago, great pains were taken to ensure that their surfaces not deviate from the desired hyperboloids of revolution by more than 100 angstroms. (See the article by C. R. O’Dell in PHYSICS TODAY, April, page 32.) In a sense, these exacting requirements have been met. The star images sent back by the orbiting observatory appear to confirm that the HST’s 2.4‐meter concave primary mirror and the 30‐cm convex secondary are as close to being perfect, axially symmetric hyperboloids as one could wish.

This article is only available in PDF format

Related content
/
Article
In the closest thing yet obtained to a movie of a breaking chemical bond, there’s a surprise ending.
This Content Appeared In
pt-cover_1990_08.jpeg

Volume 43, Number 8

Get PT in your inbox

pt_newsletter_card_blue.png
PT The Week in Physics

A collection of PT's content from the previous week delivered every Monday.

pt_newsletter_card_darkblue.png
PT New Issue Alert

Be notified about the new issue with links to highlights and the full TOC.

pt_newsletter_card_pink.png
PT Webinars & White Papers

The latest webinars, white papers and other informational resources.

By signing up you agree to allow AIP to send you email newsletters. You further agree to our privacy policy and terms of service.