The Design and Construction of Large Optical Telescopes

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-xxiv

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2. Introduction

   Pages 1-4

3. Astronomical Observations

   Pages 5-40

4. Instruments

   Pages 41-61

5. Design Methods and Project Management

   Pages 62-106

6. Telescope Optics

   Pages 106-182

7. Stray Light Control

   Pages 183-201

8. Telescope Structure and Mechanisms

   Pages 202-251

9. Pointing and Control

   Pages 252-310

10. Active and Adaptive Optics

    Pages 311-344

11. Thermal Control

    Pages 345-360

12. Integration and Verification

    Pages 361-367

13. Observatory Enclosure

    Pages 368-388

14. Observatory Sites

    Pages 389-425

15. Back Matter

    Pages 426-505

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There is no dearth of books on telescope optics and, indeed, optics is clearly a keyelementinthedesignandconstructionoftelescopes.Butitisbynomeans the only important element. As telescopes become larger and more costly, other aspects such as structures, pointing, wavefront control, enclosures, and project management become just as critical. Although most of the technical knowledge required for all these ?elds is available in various specialized books, journal articles, and technical reports, they are not necessarily written with application to telescopes in mind. This bookisa?rstattemptatassemblinginasingletextthebasicastronomicaland engineering principles used in the design and construction of large telescopes. Itsaimistobroadlycoverallmajoraspectsofthe?eld,fromthefundamentals ofastronomicalobservationto optics, controlsystems,structural,mechanical, andthermalengineering,aswellasspecializedtopicssuchassiteselectionand program management. This subject is so vast that an in-depth treatment is obviously imprac- cal. Our intent is therefore only to provide a comprehensive introduction to the essential aspects of telescope design and construction. This book will not replace specialized scienti?c and technical texts. But we hope that it will be useful for astronomers, managers, and systems engineers who seek a basic understanding of the underlying principles of telescope making, and for s- cialists who wish to acquaint themselves with the fundamental requirements and approaches of their colleagues in other disciplines.

• Astronomical Observation
• Fundament
• adaptive optics
• instruments
• optics
• structure

• Science and Engineering Systems Department, Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore, USA

  Pierre Y. Bely

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