An optical system manipulates light, be it by reflection, refraction (changing the direction), or altering the wavelength or the intensity to achieve the desired goal. Manufacturers like those at optical systems are experts at manufacturing and operationalizing optical systems. However, many of you may have no idea what optical systems are optical sapphire and how they impact our lives. So, you must read this blog post to learn more about and the far-reaching impact that they have on people’s lives.
Table of Contents
Optical Systems And Their Profound Impact
All optical systems have some common elements, such as light sources. Now, the source of light can be a finite source like a small bulb or tube light, or it can be an infinitely large source of light like the Sun.
A Microscope
A handheld microscope or a simple magnifying glass applies the same principle of using light and lenses to magnify an object. A simple microscope may have a single convex lens to magnify a tiny eye (something that is not easily visible by the naked eye). The complexity of a microscope increases with the increase in the number of lenses, so a compound microscope has a minimum of two lenses.
At times, the microscopes are fitted with a mirror, which can be used to focus the light on an object. Some microscopes come with a camera attached to it, which can capture the image as seen through the microscope. Such modern microscopes are in demand in research institutes. The magnifying power of a microscope is a product of the magnifying power of each lens. So, if the magnifying power of the first lens is 10X and that of the second is 40X, then the total magnifying power of the microscope is 400X. This means that the object under the microscope will appear 400X larger than its real-life dimension.
A Telescope
Just like a microscope, a telescope is also an optical system that uses the properties of distant objects like stars and moons to make them visible. Planetary bodies like asteroids, stars, and moons diffract, reflect, or emit waves of different frequencies.
Now, depending on the type of radiation (i.e., infrared rays, X-rays, etc) that is emitted, a complex system of lenses and mirrors is used to observe the planetary objects. Hence, both microscopes and telescopes help magnify an object, but the difference is that the microscope is small in size. However, in the case of a telescope, the object is large but appears small due to the large distance. However, the difference is that in the case of the microscope, the object is actually small, but in the case of a telescope, the object appears small due to distance.
Final Words
All optical systems have a light source, lens, or a set of lenses or mirrors. A mirror has a shiny surface that helps reflect light. Lenses (depending on the type) can converge or diverge the rays of light. In any optical system, be it a telescope or a camera, a combination of all of the above (lens, mirror, light source) are fitted together in a complex assembly to perform certain functions.
