A large reflective Schmidt telescope for the Antarctic plateau

Will Saunders; Andrew J. McGrath

doi:10.1117/12.550870

A large reflective Schmidt telescope for the Antarctic plateau

Will Saunders, Andrew J. McGrath

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Conference contribution › peer-review

8 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

We present a design concept for a 16 metre, wide-field, fixed-axis, all-reflective, segmented f/4 Schmidt telescope to take advantage of the unique possibilities of Antarctica for both optical and near infrared astronomy. The design allows observation of all RA/dec's accessible from Antarctica, with tracking times of several hours. Prime and Cassegrain foci are provided, giving plate scales 300-3000μm/", over fields of view 1.5'-0.5°. Diffraction limited, natural guide-star AO-corrected K_dark images are possible over arc-minute sized fields, over 70% of the sky. The sensitivity, resolution, field of view and cost all compare favourably with current or proposed space or ground-based telescopes.

Original language	English
Title of host publication	Ground-based Telescopes
Publisher	SPIE
Pages	462-469
Number of pages	8
Volume	5489
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1117/12.550870
Publication status	Published - 2004
Externally published	Yes
Event	Ground-based Telescopes - Glasgow, United Kingdom Duration: 21 Jun 2004 → 25 Jun 2004

Publication series

Name	Proceedings of SPIE - The International Society for Optical Engineering
Publisher	SPIE
Volume	5489
ISSN (Print)	0277-786X

Conference

Conference	Ground-based Telescopes
Country/Territory	United Kingdom
City	Glasgow
Period	21/06/04 → 25/06/04

Keywords

Adaptive optics
Antarctica
Infra-red
Telescopes
Wide-field

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10.1117/12.550870Licence: In Copyright

Cite this

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AB - We present a design concept for a 16 metre, wide-field, fixed-axis, all-reflective, segmented f/4 Schmidt telescope to take advantage of the unique possibilities of Antarctica for both optical and near infrared astronomy. The design allows observation of all RA/dec's accessible from Antarctica, with tracking times of several hours. Prime and Cassegrain foci are provided, giving plate scales 300-3000μm/", over fields of view 1.5'-0.5°. Diffraction limited, natural guide-star AO-corrected Kdark images are possible over arc-minute sized fields, over 70% of the sky. The sensitivity, resolution, field of view and cost all compare favourably with current or proposed space or ground-based telescopes.

KW - Adaptive optics

KW - Antarctica

KW - Infra-red

KW - Telescopes

KW - Wide-field

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M3 - Conference contribution

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T3 - Proceedings of SPIE - The International Society for Optical Engineering

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BT - Ground-based Telescopes

PB - SPIE

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Y2 - 21 June 2004 through 25 June 2004

ER -

A large reflective Schmidt telescope for the Antarctic plateau

Abstract

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Keywords

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