The twin-mirrored Large Binocular Telescope in Arizona will deliver images ten times sharper than the Hubble Space Telescope’s. - Photograph by Joe McNally.
Completed 8.4-meter-diameter primary mirror transport and placement above support system prototype at the University of Arizona’s Richard F. Caris Mirror Lab. Video credit: Damien Jemison, Giant Magellan Telescope – GMTO Corporation.
Completed 8.4-meter-diameter primary mirror hanging above support system prototype with technician in the foreground at the University of Arizona’s Richard F. Caris Mirror Lab. Image credit: Damien Jemison, Giant Magellan Telescope – GMTO Corporation.
Primary mirror support system prototype integration with completed primary mirror for testing at the University of Arizona Richard F. Caris Mirror Lab. (Credit: Damien Jemison, Giant Magellan Telescope–GMTO Corporation)
Workers at Japan’s Chiba Kogaku glass factory break a clay pot to extract a 1,500-pound chunk of a highly pure glass called E6. Produced using a century-old process, the glass will eventually be shipped to scientists at the University of Arizona in Tucson.
After the E6 glass is removed from the clay pot, a worker scores the surface with a tungsten-tipped hammer and then heats the crack with a blowtorch (left), causing thecrack to widen evenly and the slab to split. The glass is then cut into small blocks, and a polarizing lens is used to inspect each one for imperfections.
The Giant Magellan Telescope (GMT) uses high-quality mirrors made from Ohara E6 low-expansion glass, which comes from Japan. This glass is crucial for ensuring the stability and precision required for the telescope's massive 8.4-meter-diameter primary mirrors. These mirrors are being manufactured and polished at the Richard F. Caris Mirror Lab at the University of Arizona. Once completed, the mirrors will be transported to Chile, where the GMT will be assembled. - Cr. Damien Jemison, GMTO.
A glass revolution is underway. Spoiler alert: it bends and bounces Humans have been making glass for 4,000 years. But now, scientists are developing techniques that will impact everything from medicine to the way we see the universe. Three individuals in silver suits stand around the table with a glowing orange furnace behind them. One technician pours out bright orange liquid glass onto the flat silver table. Technicians in upstate New York pour a batch of molten glass at Corning’s “test kitchen.” Here, the company tries new recipes to enhance features such as strength, color, and optical clarity. - Photographs byChristopher Payne.
A Corning employee marks sections that will be cut from a “boule” of fused silica glass. The material’s purity and strength make it ideal for advanced lenses, beam splitters, and other optical devices, as well as windows for spacecraft and submarines.
: 1 ใบ
: 0 ใบ
My Locker