New Large Telescopes

Infrared astronomy has received a substantial boost with the advent of several new 8-m diameter or larger ground-based telescopes at high dry sites. These telescopes have 

FIGURE 8 The transparency of the earth s atmosphere from a ground-based observatory and from a high-altitude aircraft by E. Erickson. 

Source Ericksen, E. R, SOFIA Stratospheric observatory for infrared astronomy in next generation infrared space observatory, in Next Generation Infrared Space Observatory (B. Burnel, Ed.), pp. 62. Kluwer Academic Publishers, The Netherlands (1992) with kind permission from Kluwer Academic Publishers. 

---

Abstract After a recall of the constraints in the construction of new large telescopes and of the shape of mirrors and associated aberrations, one addresses methods of polishing as dwell time, and bend and polish ones. 

---