Definition of Schmidt telescope in US English:

noun

• A type of catadioptric telescope used solely for wide-angle astronomical photography, with a thin glass plate at the front to correct for spherical aberration. A curved photographic plate is placed at the prime focus inside the telescope.

  Example sentences

  • ‘Racing the clock and the break of dawn, he turned the 48-inch Oschin Schmidt telescope at the Palomar Observatory to the location.’
  • ‘Patrick is joined by Professor Fred Watson from the Anglo-Australian Observatory to view some of the wonderful images taken by the UK Schmidt telescope.’