Installation Wraps on Corning and L3Harris' Jointly-Devloped Rubin Observatory Mirror

CORNING, N.Y., Aug. 15, 2024 — Corning Inc. and L3Harris Technologies have installed a jointly produced 11-ft-wide, 1500-lb glass mirror onto the Vera C. Rubin Observatory in Chile. The mirror becomes the largest convex mirror currently in operation.

The Rubin Observatory is 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. It will also provide scientists with data that could answer some of the most pressing questions about the universe.

The Vera C. Rubin Observatory in Chile is on track to be the largest ground-based observatory of its kind. The telescope is expected to begin operations next year. Courtesy of Corning Inc.

The mirror is made of Corning’s Ultra-Low Expansion Glass, a titania-silicate glass material with near-zero expansion characteristics, a quality that is critical to ensuring the telescope keeps its focus. The company tapped into a century of experience in large-aperture telescope fabrication to create the complex, innovative technology.

Once crafted, L3Harris fine-ground, polished, and finished the mirror. 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 the mirror-control system.

The observatory is expected to be fully operational in 2025.

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Published: August 2024

Glossary

astronomy: The scientific observation of celestial radiation that has reached the vicinity of Earth, and the interpretation of these observations to determine the characteristics of the extraterrestrial bodies and phenomena that have emitted the radiation.
telescope: An afocal optical device made up of lenses or mirrors, usually with a magnification greater than unity, that renders distant objects more distinct, by enlarging their images on the retina.
mirror: A smooth, highly polished surface, for reflecting light, that may be plane or curved if wanting to focus and or magnify the image formed by the mirror. The actual reflecting surface is usually a thin coating of silver or aluminum on glass.
convex: Convex is an adjective used to describe a surface or shape that curves outward, bulges, or has a rounded and outwardly extending appearance. In the context of geometry or optics, a convex shape is one that is curved or sloped outward, creating a surface that is raised or protruding. For example: Convex lens: In optics, a convex lens is thicker at the center than at the edges, causing light rays passing through it to converge. Convex lenses are commonly used in magnifying glasses,...

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