The Practical Astronomer: Comprising illustrations of light and colours--practical descriptions of all kinds of telescopes--the use of the equatorial-transit--circular, and other astronomical instruments, a particular account of the Earl of Rosse's large telescopes, and other topics connected with astronomyDick, Thomas
Science
The Practical Astronomer: Comprising illustrations of light and colours--practical descriptions of all kinds of telescopes--the use of the equatorial-transit--circular, and other astronomical instruments, a particular account of the Earl of Rosse's large telescopes, and other topics connected with astronomy
Dick, Thomas
Astronomical instruments; Astronomy; Telescopes
Herschel adopted, and with which he made most of his observations and
discoveries.
_The Cassegrainian Reflector._--This mode of the reflecting telescope,
suggested by M. Cassegrain, a Frenchman, is represented in fig. 64. It
is constructed in the same way as the Gregorian, with the exception of
a small _convex_ speculum G being substituted in the room of the small
concave in Gregory’s construction. As the focus of a convex mirror is
negative, it is placed at a distance from the large speculum equal to
the difference of their foci, that is, if the focal length of the large
speculum be 18 inches, and that of the small convex 2 inches, they are
placed at 16 inches distant from each other, on a principle similar
to that of the Galilean telescope, in which the concave eye-glass is
placed within the focus of the object-glass by a space equal to the
focal length of the eye-glass. In this telescope, likewise, instead
of two there is only _one image_ formed, namely that in the focus
of the eye-glass; and, on this account some are of opinion that the
distinctness is considerably greater than in the Gregorian. Mr. Ramsden
was of opinion that this construction is preferable to either of the
former reflectors, because the aberrations of the two metals have a
tendency to correct each other, whereas in the Gregorian both the
metals being concave, any error in the specula will be doubled. It is
his opinion that the aberrations in the Cassegrainian construction
to that of the Gregorian is as 3 to 5. The length of this telescope
is shorter than that of a Gregorian of equal focal length, by twice
the focal length of the small mirror, and it shows every thing in
an _inverted_ position, and consequently is not adapted for viewing
terrestrial objects.
_Dr. Hook’s Reflector._--Before the reflecting telescope was much
known, Dr. Hook contrived one, the form of which is represented, fig.
65, which differs in little or nothing from the Gregorian, except that
the eye-glass I is placed in the hole of the great speculum BE.
_Martin’s Reflector._--Mr. Bengamin Martin, a distinguished writer on
optical and philosophical science, about a century ago, described a
new form of the reflecting telescope, approximating to the Newtonian
structure, which he contrived for his own use. It is represented in
fig. 66. ABEF is the tube, in which there is an opening or aperture OP,
in the upper part. Against this hole within the tube is placed a large
plane speculum GH, at half a right angle with the axis or sides of the
tubes, with a hole CD perforated through its middle. The parallel rays
_a b_ falling on the inclined plane GH are reflected perpendicularly
and parallel on the great speculum BE in the bottom of the tube. From
thence they are reflected converging to a focus _e_ through the hole of
the plane mirror CD, which being also the focus of the eye-glass IK,
the eye will perceive the object magnified and distinct.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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