Re: [ATM] Best books on mirror making

["Stuart Hutchins" <stuart452@earthlink.net>]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Stuart Hutchins" <stuart452@earthlink.net>
To: "Jay Kirkland" <jaykirk2@compusmart.ab.ca>
Sent: Sunday, October 17, 2004 2:26 PM
Subject: Re: [ATM] Best books on mirror making


> "Final arbiter" is the key phrase.
>
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Jay Kirkland" <jaykirk2@compusmart.ab.ca>
> To: <atm@atmlist.net>
>
>
>
> > for the star test itself, mirror makers like Dobson and Suiter use it as
> > the final arbiter in determining their mirrors figures. How do you feel
> > about its usefulness  for mirror makers?
>
> Star testing is great for evaluating a telescope, which is made for
imaging
> stars.  "Star Testing...", the book,  is even more valuable for the
readable
> insights into optics.  But it doesn't tell you how to make a mirror. I
agree
> with the words of Chapter 1, page 1:
>
> "telescope makers favor methods that lead to profiles of the optical
> surfaces, or at least errors in the slope of those surfaces.  They can use
> such information to decide where they must remove slight amounts of glass
> during the next figuring step."
>
> Star testing, even with Ronchi, only reveals subjectively how good or bad
> the finished product is.  Precision figuring of a mirror needs more
> quantitative information to proceed efficiently.
>
> Stuart
>


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