Image stability requirement for the SOFIA telescope
Abstract
The basis for the pointing stability requirement in the SOFIA telescope is described. Fundamentally, it is desirable to retain the diffraction-limited image quality of the telescope to the shortest wavelengths not dominated by shear-layer seeing effects or intrinsic optical quality of the telescope. Image motion will blur the images, and may cause loss of signal and increased noise in science instruments. The expected diffraction and seeing limited image quality contributions are discussed, an analysis of the effects of image motion on observations is given, and examples related to the specification and to currently predicted performance for the SOFIA telescope are presented.
- Publication:
-
Airborne Telescope Systems
- Pub Date:
- June 2000
- DOI:
- 10.1117/12.389101
- Bibcode:
- 2000SPIE.4014....2E