An 11-foot-wide, 1,500-pound glass mirror, made by Corning Inc. and L3Harris Technologies, was recently installed onto the NSF-DEO Vera C. Rubin Observatory in Chile, providing the deepest views of the universe to date from the southern hemisphere.
The mirror was designed and produced in New York state. It is now the largest convex mirror in operation, according to a Corning Inc. spokesperson. The observatory is expected to be fully operational in 2025. automatic glass edge polishing machine
Installation of the mirror brought the Rubin Observatory one step closer to capturing images of outer space that will allow scientists to identify 10 to 100 times more objects in the solar system, including harmful asteroids, officials said. It will also provide scientists with data that could answer some of the most pressing questions about the universe.
“Corning is proud of its nearly 20-year collaboration with the L3Harris and Rubin Observatory team,” said Claude Echahamian, Vice President & General Manager, Corning Advanced Optics. “As part of our latest collaboration, Corning’s highly skilled team in New York manufactured a cutting-edge telescope mirror made of Corning ULE Glass (Ultra-Low Expansion Glass) glass that will enable crystal clear views of deep space and help scientists reveal millions of previously unknown solar system objects with more details than ever before.”
Corning Inc. produced the mirror in Canton using ULE glass, a titania-silicate glass material invented by Corning Inc. in the 1960s with near-zero expansion characteristics – critical to ensuring the telescope keeps its focus.
Corning Inc. tapped into a century of experience in large-aperture telescope fabrication to create the complex, innovative technology, the company said. Then, L3Harris fine-ground, polished and finished the mirror in Rochester, which is key to the telescope’s performance.
L3Harris also designed and built the secondary-mirror assembly, which consists of a stiff-steel mounting plate, 72 axial and six tangent actuators, the mirror-cell electronics and sensors, a thermal control system, and a mirror-control system.
Echahamian said the collaboration between Corning and L3Harris is the latest feat for New York’s cutting-edge optics, photonics, and imaging industry – putting New York technology on the global stage.
“For nearly six decades we have designed and constructed high-end optical systems for space and ground applications. This work continues with the world’s largest active secondary mirror system, built for Rubin Observatory,” said Charles Clarkson, Vice President and General Manager, Imaging Systems, Space and Airborne Systems, L3Harris. “With this milestone, we are closer to pushing scientific frontiers and charting the universe like never before, and we look forward to the science that will be discovered.”
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When fully operational, Rubin Observatory will offer the most comprehensive view of the universe from the southern hemisphere than all previous ground-based telescopes combined.
stone polishing equipment The project received funding from the U.S. National Science Foundation and the U.S. Department of Energy.