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Old 24-02-2016, 11:03 PM
gary
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Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Mt. Kuring-Gai
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Cool AAO post photo gallery of cleaning and re-aluminizing the 3.9m AAT mirror

The Australian Astronomical Observatory (AAO) have posted
photo galleries on their Facebook page which show the process of
cleaning and re-aluminising the 3.9m mirror.

The observatory has its own vacuum chamber in a floor below the
telescope and the mirror is removed and lowered down to that
floor whenever it needs re-aluminizing, typically on an annual basis.

See that process here -
https://www.facebook.com/AustralianA...type=3&theater

The mirror weighs 16.19 tonnes and is fabricated from Cer-Vit glass.
The diameter of the central hole is 1.067m.

In one image you will see a close-up of the 2.5g coil of aluminium
which is vaporized in the vacuum chamber and provides the mirror surface.

Cleaning and coating gallery here -
https://www.facebook.com/AustralianA...type=3&theater
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