Category
page 1Optical telescope components

coronagraph
thumb|Coronagraph image of the Sun
A coronagraph is a telescopic attachment designed to block out the direct light from a star or other bright object so that nearby objects – which otherwise would be hidden in the object's bright glare – can be resolved. Most coronagraphs are intended to view the corona of the Sun, but a new class of conceptually similar instruments (called stellar coronagraphs to distinguish them from solar coronagraphs) are being used to find extrasolar planets and circumstellar disks around nearby stars as well as host galaxies in quasars and other similar objec
primary mirror
main light-gathering source of reflecting telescope
segmented mirror
array of smaller mirrors acting together as a single, large mirror
astronomical filter
telescope accessory used to improve details of viewed objects
Schmidt corrector plate
corrective lens used in Schmidt and Schmidt–Cassegrain telescopes
occulting disk
small disk used in telescopes to block a bright object, to see fainter objects nearby
Honeycomb mirror
used in astronomical telescopes