Paraboloid Bitches!!!

[denbot]

Yesterday I attended my astronomy 113 (optics) lab. My class is Tuesday nights, but the professor opens the lab for several hours on Saturdays. For the last couple of months I've been grinding a 6" Pyrex mirror blank in to a concave shape, and then I polished the working surface for maximum reflectivity, the whole time keeping the shape appropriate for the stage of completion.

The last stage is called figuring, that is getting all the light to focus at the same point without distortions. The final shape is a paraboloid, which will focus the light from the outside edges of the mirror at the same point as light that hits the mirror near the center. Telescope mirrors are the most precise instruments made by mankind.

Now instead of mindless hours of grinding, the last few class secessions I'm working on the glass for a few minutes and spent mind bending hours testing, and trying to interpret my tests.

Yesterday, I may have finished. I still have to do the testing and graphing as per the class requirements, but holy mole' I think I'm done...

I've achieved paraboloid!!!!

[Orrex]

1. I'll bet that you can roast the hell out of some ants.

[MiddleFingerMom]

2. BWAHAHAHAHAHA HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!

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Congratulations!!!
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Almost certainly grueling, mind-numbing work... but with a HUGE payoff at the (soon-to-be-realized) end.
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:applause:
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[denbot]

3. LOL

I know of someone who left their telescope uncovered near his house Light entered the tube exiting the eyepiece and lit the house on fire.. The owner smelled smoke and was able to put out the fire before much damage was done to the house, but his telescope was destroyed.

[krispos42]

4. Real Pyrex? Borosilicate glass?

If so, that's the same material that the 200-inch mirror in the Palomar Observatory is made from.

[denbot]

5. One and the same.

The cost of the mirror blank jumped 100% from last year's class. The last American pyrex mirror maker shut down a year ago. I have a nearly polished 10" blank project that I had to shelve due to the degree of difficutly in finishing. My goal in this class is to learn enough to finish my larger mirror.

[krispos42]

6. Cool. Very cool indeed.

have fun.. and don't burn your eye out!

[CaliforniaPeggy]

7. My dear denbot!

Biggo congrats!

Oh, and BTW, we still have a telescope waiting here for you...if you still want it!

I'm really glad to hear your hard work is paying off!

:hi:

[Inchworm]

8. nuttin but love

:hug:

[petronius]

9. I thought this was a Star Trek thread - didn't Riker hook up with some Parabaloid Bitches

back in Season 3? :shrug:

Congrats on the mirror!