Airy disk

The best focused spot of light that can be created by a perfect lens system, assuming a circular aperture and limited by light diffraction. The disk is surrounded by concentric rings known as an Airy pattern. Since the disk is the smallest unit that makes up the image of a luminous or absorbing object—formed by a corrected microscope lens in focus—the radius of the disk determines the limit of resolution of the lens system or microscope.

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Airy disc

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Once again, center Polaris in the eyepiece and switch to a high-power eyepiece, magnifying the view enough so that when the star is in focus you can see the Airy disk and the first diffraction ring.

Collimating a Schmidt-Cassegrain: Follow these steps to get your telescope into perfect alignment

5 [micro]m, the diameter of the Airy disk is approximately equal to the f/stop number of the lens.

Seeing objects as they are: a better understanding of camera and lens characteristics will help to optimize your AOI application

But it's possible to detect that a star is double even if the Airy disk is merely elongated a trace, the way MacRobert described his 0.

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Each of its two tight pairs was cleanly split, with tiny Airy disks surrounded by a single diffraction ring and clear dark sky between the component stars.

Esprit 100ED: a fast, affordable astrograph

In order to enlarge the in-focus appearance of the Airy disk and improve its visibility in the images, each scope was stopped down to a 50-mm aperture.

Slightly out of focus: star-testing your telescope: the stars that entice us can also help us optimize our telescopes

The view of Epsilon Lyrae, the famous Double Double, was particularly impressive with both star pairs cleanly separated and each star's Airy disk surrounded by a perfect set of diffraction rings.

The David H. Levy comet hunter: don't be fooled by the name; this 6-inch Maksutov-Newtonian reflector will do a lot more than help you find comets

The CFZ is based on the diameter of the Airy disk in a star's diffraction pattern, which is calculated with the equation:

In perfect focus: modern imaging equipment demands the ability to focus with microscopic precision

This measurement reflects how much of a star's light is concentrated in its Airy disk.

Digging out the details: layered deconvolution adds depth to your astro-images

But the level of astigmatism was very low and did not cause in-focus star images to noticeably deviate from the ideal Airy disk diffraction pattern that a perfect refractor should have.

A new name in apos: the AT106 refractor: a 4.2-inch triplet apo for $2,100? Is this a price breakthrough or something that's too good to be true?

I noted occasional glimpses of the first diffraction ring around the Airy disk when observing Albireo (Beta Cygni), particularly around the yellow star of this well-known colorful pair.

The STF Mirage 7 Mak: this premium 7-inch Maksutov-Cassegrain from Russia has caught the eye of Mak enthusiasts. Here's our take on its performance

There should be no swelling of the Airy disk or other changes in its appearance when you switch the fan on.

Improving the thermal properties of Newtonian reflectors-part 2

In any telescope with optics of diffraction-limited quality, the image of a star is a diffraction pattern that consists of the so-called Airy disk surrounded by a set of several concentric, faintly luminous rings.