Gemini Featured in Fall 2016 SVC Bulletin

Gemini Featured in Fall 2016 SVC Bulletin

In the most recent Society of Vaccum Coaters (SVC) Bulletin, they feature an article written by Gemini North Optical Engineer Thomas Schneider as well as an image of the Gemini North telescope on the cover. SVC is the global source for learning, applying and advancing vaccum coating, surface engineering and related technologies.

Cover of the SVC Bulletin, featuring the Gemini North telescope.

The article, titled “Coating the Gemini Telescopes with Protected Silver,” is an in-depth article about how and why Gemini Observatory chooses to coat its mirrors with silver (and was in fact the first 8-meter class telescope to do so in 2004!) instead of the more popular aluminum.

“The coating quality is integral to our success at the Gemini Observatory,” says Schneider. “Our four-layer protected coating provides high reflectivity in visible and infrared wavelengths as well as low infrared emissivity. The durability of our coating has also increase the usable lifetime between re-coatings to five years or more.”

Thomas Schneider and Tomislav Vucina inspecting the primary mirror for pinholes after the Gemini North recoating. Photo credit: Jeff Donahue.

Watch the video above to see a time lapse of the Gemini mirror re-coating process.