Schmidt-Maksutov telescope
Quick Summary
The Schmidt-Maksutov telescope is a type of catadioptric telescope, meaning it uses both mirrors and lenses to form an image. Invented by Bernhard Schmidt in 1930, it features a spherical primary mirror and a thin correcting lens. This design corrects for spherical aberrations, allowing for a wider field of view than traditional reflecting telescopes, making it ideal for large-scale star surveys.12
The Schmidt-Maksutov variation, developed by Dmitry Maksutov in 1941, is similar but uses a spherical meniscus lens instead of Schmidt's correcting plate. These telescopes are valuable for astronomical applications that require photographing large areas of the sky.12
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