Melting moments: Magellan mirror segments

[deanm]

Don't try this at home, you DIY mirror makers!

http://www.gizmodo.com.au/2015/10/the-giant-magellan-telescopes-fourth-mirror-melting-is-mesmerising/

Dean

[el_draco]

Thats really interesting. I remember reading about the 200" mirror of the Hale reflector and how difficult the process of making it was. Its a great read but times sure have changed. The video's here make it look like art... Excellent

[Kunama]

Excellent, thanks for the link Dean. I recently went to a presentation by the Australian GMT Team at the Australian National University. This will be an amazing scope. Seven mirrors +1 spare are being made for it giving the maximum aperture of about 24 metres and 10 times the resolution of Hubble.

Adaptive optics will be built into the deformable secondaries to deal with the atmospheric annoyances.

I think it will be spectacular!

[deanm]

Rom & Matt - I agree entirely: what a piece of engineering (let alone manufacturing techniques)!

That the (very) gradual solidification of the initially molten glass takes a whole year astounds me.

Given that typical glasses liquify around 1500 deg. C, the cool-down rate (over 12 months) is approx. 4 deg. C per day - and each component mirror does so while being constantly spun to form the parabolic reflecting surface

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glass.

BIG stuff!

Dean