Cassegrain mirror system
Telescopio de Cassegrain
- Date
- 1672 · confidence high
- Place
- Chartres, Centre-Val de Loire, France
- Credited to
- Laurent Cassegrain
- Field
- Communication
⚠️ Disputed: the sources disagree.
What it is
A reflecting telescope design combining a concave primary mirror with a convex secondary mirror, folding the optical path to achieve a long focal length in a mechanically short tube; published by Laurent Cassegrain in 1672.
Laurent Cassegrain's exact identity and location are uncertain; he is often placed in Chartres, though this is unconfirmed.
What it led to
- Compact, long-focal-length reflecting telescopes
- The Ritchey–Chrétien design and modern variants
- Use in radio telescopes and space telescopes