Monolithic telescopes: design, manufacturing, and applications

Rik ter Horst; Ramon Navarro

doi:10.1117/12.3018976

26 August 2024 Monolithic telescopes: design, manufacturing, and applications

Rik ter Horst, Ramon Navarro

Proceedings Volume 13100, Advances in Optical and Mechanical Technologies for Telescopes and Instrumentation VI; 1310040 (2024) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.3018976
Event: SPIE Astronomical Telescopes + Instrumentation, 2024, Yokohama, Japan

Conference Poster

Abstract

The monolithic telescope is a complete, small telescope, containing refractive- and reflective surfaces, baffles and more, all brought together in just one single piece of glass. Such devices have a wide range of applications, especially because of their unique compactness and robustness. However, due to the tight optical and mechanical tolerances, it has been notoriously difficult to produce such monolithic telescopes. First successful prototypes have been made and published in the 1990s by Rik ter Horst, but it never really took off as a scientific or commercial product. We know of several less successful attempts by others to create a working prototype. Recently, there has been quite some social media attention under the name tiny telescope, which is a telltale sign that the market is ready for these monolithic telescopes. We would like to present some new, innovative designs for monolithic telescopes, with improved manufacturability, which makes this tiny telescope more interesting for high volume production.

Citation Download Citation

Rik ter Horst and Ramon Navarro "Monolithic telescopes: design, manufacturing, and applications", Proc. SPIE 13100, Advances in Optical and Mechanical Technologies for Telescopes and Instrumentation VI, 1310040 (26 August 2024); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.3018976

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