Maksutov telescope

The Maksutov reflector telescope is a design that was named after the Russian optician Dmitri Maksutow. She also finds a telephoto lens use. The Maksutov telescope is usually carried out with the Cassegrain beam path and then similar to the Schmidt- Cassegrain telescope. Like this it has a spherical primary mirror, which is pierced in the middle. Rare to find Maksutov -Newton telescopes, which are derived from the Newtonian telescope. The pure Maksutov telescope is how the pure Schmidt telescope, used only as an astro camera because the focus is in Tubusinneren. The combination of lenses and mirrors is a catadioptric system. Though this principle is named after Maksutov, it was discovered earlier somewhat independently of Kurt Penning and Albert Bouwers.

In the German -speaking area has the English spelling " Maksutov telescope " enforced even if, according to official German transcription rules, the notation " Maksutow telescope " would be correct.

At the front is located a tube opening meniscus lens which corrects the spherical aberration of the primary mirror. She wears the same time the secondary mirror. Is the deposited on the lens rear side is called the construction - Gregory Maksutov. This lens, also called corrector is through curved but has over the entire surface a substantially constant thickness. The chromatic aberration of the meniscus lens is therefore extremely low. As their optically active surfaces, as well as the main and the secondary mirror, are spherical, the preparation of the optics for a Maksutov telescope is much easier than other types of telescope. Nevertheless, the quality of these optics with smaller telescopes by no other system is exceeded. The construction is very short. The only disadvantage is the great weight of the thick corrector plate.

The focus of the main mirror is moved axially by a screw which is led out of the telescope at the rear end is shifted.

The largest telescopes in this design are located in the following observatories:

  • Cerro El Roble, (AZT -16) with an aperture ( opening) of 700 mm, double meniscus, the appearance was made by Maksutov itself.
  • Abastumani Observatory, aperture 700 mm
  • Crimean Observatory, aperture 650 mm

The HRSC Mars probe Mars Express has a SRC (Super Resolution Channel ) called Maksutov telescope from the type that was manufactured by Zeiss. This has an aperture of 100 mm and a focal length of 1000 mm.

There are a number of manufacturers of Maksutov telescopes. The MENISCAS 150/2250 and 180 MENISCAS of Carl Zeiss in Jena are also known. Both devices are no longer produced. Today, various Russian, Japanese and Chinese manufacturers Maksutov telescopes for amateur astronomy offer.

The optical arrangement is described in more recent times even with mirror lenses for film cameras very popular because it has a large useful field of view. So there are lenses with focal lengths of 500, 750 and 1000 mm. Devices of this type come from the countries of the CIS in various designs, partly for the medium format 6 × 6 cm. In contrast to pure telescope optics by Maksutow the focus in telephoto lenses after the main and counter mirror still in the tube. With a focal distance contempt prolonging lens group, the focus is shifted far to the rear that it falls on the film plane an attached camera. The focal length of the system states is usually doubled.

With an adapter can be such telephoto lenses in Maksutov design also be used as very compact telescopes. Find use, for example, adapters that allow the connection of conventional eyepieces with a plug diameter of 11 /4 "( 31.75mm). The best-known example of such a conversion originating from Russian- telephoto lens " MC MTO - 11ca " with 1000 mm focal length with 100 mm opening, in professional circles is often also referred to affectionately as Russians ton.

The so-called field- Maksutov reflector meantime a variation have been developed in which the meniscus lens does not fit over the tube opening before, but after the secondary mirror. This system was developed by the Australian amateur astronomer Ralph W. Field 1981.

On a similar idea worked since 1974, the Russian Yuri A. Klewzow. In his solution, he placed two meniscus lenses in front of the secondary mirror and a meniscus lens in front of the Mangin secondary mirror, which is known as Klevtsov telescope.

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