Astrophysics

Invention of the Schmidt Camera

The Schmidt Camera is an optical design invented by a German physicist during the first decades of the 20th century. It is an astrophotographic camera, that is where its name comes from.

Photography was the first method used to permanently maintain an astronomical image. In the early 20th century, photography experienced its Golden Age, this in addition to the invention of the Schmidt optical system. This system is also known as a catadioptric optical system, because it combines a lens and mirror.

It is a combination of both types of telescopes: those that function with lenses (refractors) and those that function with mirrors (reflectors). This combination resulted in: a corrector plate located on the system’s upper part and a spherical primary mirror.

The image is made by the mirror, which has a curvature, the spherical surface shapes the image in different points within the field of view, this causes the image to have a curve.

The corrector plate is refracting and its main function is to compensate the image’s curve due to the reflective sphere.