RC Optical Systems, Inc. was started in the mid 90s with the goal of manufacturing the highest performing optical instrumentation possible.
This difficult objective led us to explore many different designs and methods. Starting with optics, choosing the Ritchey-Chrétien design was obvious. As master optician Paul Jones stated, “"the Ritchey-Chrétien has the largest aberration-free field of view, of any reflecting telescope made".
A Ritchey-Chrétien is a two mirror system with no glass or refractive elements. It has no coma and has no chromatic (color) aberrations. Spectral response from a two mirror system like a Ritchey-Chrétien is nearly 100% from Ultraviolet to Infrared. Ritchey-Chrétien optics are commonly employed for applications throughout this entire range! It is very important for consumers to know that optical designs with lenses DO NOT WORK in UV or IR since most lens materials (glass) do not transmit these wave lengths. But a two mirror system like a Ritchey-Chrétien reflects almost 100% of the light from 100 nanometers to 20 microns!
Nearly all large, professional, and modern observatories continue to choose Ritchey-Chrétien optics including the 10.4m Gran Telescopio Canarias on the Canary Islands, both 10.0m Keck I and II on Mauna Kea, the four 8.2m VLTs in Chile, the 8.2m Subaru telescope on Mauna Kea, both 8.0m Gemini North and South, the 3.5m Calar Alto Observatory in Spain, the 3.5m Herschel Space Observatory, the 3.5m WIYN at Kitt Peak, the 2.5m Sloan Digital Sky Survey in New Mexico, and of course, the 2.4m Hubble Space Telescope to name only a handful. Now you too can have a professional Ritchey-Chrétien Telescope from RC Optical Systems!
Not only did we choose the Ritchey-Chrétien design as the best and most versatile optics possible, we also solicited the best opticians in the world to manufacture our optics. We use many different suppliers using different fabrication methods from conventional polishing to computerized polishing to Ion Milling or Ion Beam polishing. This allows us to meet the demanding optical requirements specified by our customers.
And since RC Optical Systems is customer driven, we also offer other optical designs such as Super Ritchey-Chrétien, Classical Cassegrain, Dall-Kirkham, Mersenne (Afocal), Gregorian and more.
Once the optical prescription is finalized using ZEMAX, RC Optical Systems goes on to design and engineer the opto-mechanics of the telescope assembly. We export the ZEMAX prescription into SolidWorks, then run Finite Element Analysis (FEA) with Cosmos so we are able to design the best opto-mechanical solution for each customer. Manufacturing methods employing modern materials such as carbon fiber, carbon/Nomex, Titanium, and high grade aluminum alloys, allow us to meet the most demanding requirements.
RC Optical Systems continues to be the Worlds largest manufacturer of Ritchey-Chrétien telescopes. We have delivered and support hundreds of telescopes and imaging systems worldwide. RC Optical Systems is also available for custom installations and training anywhere on Earth.
RC Optical Systems, Inc.
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