physics

RC Optical Systems

RC Optical Systems is a physics topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand RC Optical Systems rather than just read about it. In short: RC Optical Systems was a high-end American telescope and optics manufacturer that specialized in Ritchey-Chrétien telescopes with hyperbolic mirrors. RC also made related mounts and systems for the telescopes, with a focus on open and closed carbon fiber trusses for low expansion.

Key takeaways

RC Optical Systems belongs to physics; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect RC Optical Systems to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of RC Optical Systems from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

RC Optical Systems was a high-end American telescope and optics manufacturer that specialized in Ritchey-Chrétien telescopes with hyperbolic mirrors. RC also made related mounts and systems for the telescopes, with a focus on open and closed carbon fiber trusses for low expansion. The basic Ritchey-Chrétien optical system uses two mirrors and no refracting elements, which reduces light loss and its optical characteristics make it popular for astrophotography. Refracting elements may be added to correct for field curvature. RC Optical Systems was started 1998 and was located in Flagstaff, Arizona. Telescopes and systems were sold commercially to individuals, institutions, and governments. The smallest RCOS telescope, the 12.5 inch F/9 Ritchey-Chrétien had a base price of just over twenty thousand US dollars in 2009, with large and/or custom models costing considerably more. RC Optical Systems and Star Instruments won a lawsuit in 2008 against Meade Instruments over Meade's description of RCX400 and LX200R telescopes and the Ritchey-Chrétien classification. RCOS shut down operations in late 2013 and no longer provides support for any of their telescopes or accessories. Known institutional facilities using the telescopes produced by RC Optical Systems include Moore Observatory of the University of Louisville has a 0.6-meter and a 0.5-meter at its site near Louisville, Kentucky, USA. It also operates its 0.6-meter at Mt. Lemmon Observatory (MLO) on a site hosted by the University of Arizona. Lulin Observatory 0.4-meter in Taiwan. PROMPT telescope (Panchromatic Robotic Optical Monitoring and Polarimetry Telescopes), which was built by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill at Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory (CTIO) in Chile with six 0.6-meter instruments. Robinson Observatory of the University of Central Florida, USA, installed a 0.5-meter telescope in 2007. The telescope produced by RCOS has a 20inch diameter aperture. The telescope replaced the 26-inch Tinsley Telescope which was in the dome previously. Liberty University installed a 0.5-meter RCOS telescope in 2012. The telescope is intended for high-quality research, and they intended to equip the telescope with a CCD camera for Astrophotography. TacSat-2 observation system, an experimental satellite launched in 2006, included a 0.5-meter telescope. RCOS telescopes have also been known to be used by amateur astronomers. In one case an amateur astronomer, also a college professor, reported that he had a 10" Ritchey-Chretien telescope from RC Optical Systems among his telescopes along with two refractors. Major designs offered by 2009, over a decade after its founding included

Telescopes for astronomy 12.5 inch F/9 Truss Ritchey-Chrétien, 12.5 inch F/9 Ritchey-Chrétien 14.5 inch Truss Ritchey-Chrétien 16 inch F/8.4 Ritchey-Chrétien, 16 inch Truss F/8.4 Ritchey-Chrétien 20 inch F/8.1 Ritchey-Chrétien, 20 inch Truss F/8.1 Ritchey-Chrétien 24 inch f/8 Truss Ritchey-Chrétien 32 inch Truss (81 cm) f/7 Ritchey-Chrétien Telescopes for ruggedized and military use 12.5 inch f/9 Military Ritchey-Chrétien 16 inch f.8.4 Military Ritchey-Chrétien 20 inch f/8.1 Military Ritchey-Chrétien 24 inch f/8 Military Ritchey-Chrétien 32 inch f/7 Military Ritchey-Chrétien 34 inch f/8 Military Ritchey-Chrétien

References

External links RC Optical Systems Photos of DFM telescope being installed in 1998 RCOS Comparison

Illustrations

RC Optical Systems: 16 in (41 cm) RCOS Truss telescope, part of the PROMPT Telescopes array — 16 in (41 cm) RCOS Truss telescope, part of the PROMPT Telescopes array

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with RC Optical Systems

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what RC Optical Systems claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In physics, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to RC Optical Systems before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about RC Optical Systems ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of RC Optical Systems

In research: RC Optical Systems appears in physics research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses RC Optical Systems in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: RC Optical Systems is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Companies established in 1998, Telescope manufacturers, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for RC Optical Systems outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study RC Optical Systems in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what RC Optical Systems means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain RC Optical Systems out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is RC Optical Systems in simple terms?

Why does RC Optical Systems matter?

Because it connects several physics ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study RC Optical Systems?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on RC Optical Systems.