A project of The International Liquid Mirror Telescope is under development at Devasthal, India, and the feasibility and potential of using liquid mirror technology for large telescopes on the Moon is explored. Liquid mirror telescopes have seen limited adoption since 1990s, with the biggest telescope to date, a 6-meter Large Zenith Telescope, used for atmospheric measurements and operated by the University of British Columbia in Vancouver. When the use of large diffraction-limited mirrors was successfully tested in the lab, the researchers focused on applying this technology to real world scenarios. The1980s brought a new wave of interest towards the technology due to a Canadian researcher Ermanno Borra, who, together with his colleagues, built on Wood’s findings and conducted optical tests that showed that large, direction-limited mirrors are a reality and can have practical astronomical applications. While he was able to obtain photographs of two double star systems, abd published three papers in 1909, he did not pursue the idea of liquid mirror telescopes further, due to restrictions of the technology. Robert Wood of Johns Hopkins University began experimenting with the idea of the Mercury paraboloid as a reflecting telescope. He did not follow up on this idea, and it is not until 1872 when an English astronomer Henry Skey build a first working liquid mirror telescope, with two different, but equally successful techniques: an electromagnetic engine and a small hydroelectric turbine.įurther research was needed to build a high-quality instrument that could be used for astronomical purposes, and only thirty-five years later Prof. The history of liquid mirror telescope can be traced to Ernesto Capocci of the Naples Observatory in 1850, who described the concept of a parabolic mirror formed by rotating a vessel of liquid mercury. Liquid mirror telescopes are telescopes that use reflective liquids such as mercury instead of solid glass as mirrors. Require frequent cleaning – The lenses in refracting telescopes require frequent cleaning to maintain optimal performance.Liquid mirror telescope technology is a fairly new and rapidly progressing technology that already shows a huge potential, reminding us of the need to never stop improving the telescope technology we use today.Limited aperture – The size of the aperture, or the opening that allows light into the telescope, is limited by the size of the lens, which can restrict the amount of light that can be gathered.Expensive – Refracting telescopes are generally more expensive than reflecting telescopes due to the high cost of producing large lenses.Heavy and bulky – Refracting telescopes tend to be heavier and bulkier compared to reflecting telescopes of the same size, making them less portable.Susceptibility to chromatic aberration – Despite the absence of chromatic aberration in smaller refractors, larger refractors are prone to this type of distortion due to the greater length of the lens.Easy to use – Refractors are generally easy to use, with the eyepiece being located at the front of the telescope and the focus being easily adjustable.No chromatic aberration – Refractors do not suffer from chromatic aberration, a type of distortion that occurs when different wavelengths of light are focused at different points, resulting in a rainbow-like effect.High image contrast – Refractors tend to have higher image contrast compared to reflectors due to the absence of a secondary mirror, which can cause some light scattering.Wide field of view – Refractors have a wide field of view due to the use of a lens, allowing for a larger portion of the sky to be observed at once.No mirror alignment issues – Refracting telescopes, also known as refractors, do not have the alignment issues that reflecting telescopes have, as they do not use mirrors.The followings are the advantages and disadvantages of Refracting Telescope: Advantages What are the advantages and disadvantages of Refracting Telescope Refracting Telescope is a telescope that uses a lens to collect and focus light to form an image. We have collected some solid points that will help you understand the pros and cons of Refracting Telescope in detail.īut first, let’s understand the topic: What is Refracting Telescope? Looking for advantages and disadvantages of Refracting Telescope?
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