The TOPTEC Centre has developed a world-unique concept of special optical elements for the largest Czech telescope

Fri Jun 26 14:23:00 CEST 2020

Perek Telescope at the Ondřejov Observatory of the Astronomical Institute has undergone a major modernization.

Due to a radical change in the optical configuration, the efficiency of the device has increased by tens of percent, which will allow scientists to observe even very weak objects. The telescope weighs over eighty tons and the diameter of its mirror lens is two meters. The largest Czech telescope named after the living legend of Czech astronomy, Luboš Perek (celebrating his 101st birthday on July 26), it has been helping scientists in space exploration for more than fifty years. During that time, the device has undergone several upgrades. Optically, however, the telescope was still almost in its original state. The team of the stellar department of the Astronomical Institute cooperated with the Research Centre for Special Optics and Optoelectronic Systems TOPTEC in Turnov, which is the part of IPP. The TOPTEC Centre developed for the telescope the world-unique concept of special optical elements which multiplies the light efficiency of the telescope when observing faint objects.