Brian N's 17.5" F4.5 mirror just refigured and coated.

I've just received Brian's 17.5" telescope mirror from the coater. It was refigured to a .955 strehl -- nice figure indeed. The mirror sports an "enhanced" aluminum protected coating as well. What started out as a Coulter mirror has turned into a high-quality premium optic.

A 4.5" secondary is also part of the optical train.













This is the detail of the 18-point flotation mirror cell optimized with Plop. I use masking tape to hold the triangles and mounting points in place. Once the cell is permanently affixed to the back of the mirror -- the tape is removed.

Here, the mirror cell has been affixed to the mirror with silicone. I give the silicone 24-hours to cure. Once attached, the mirror is firmly held in place -- but it can be removed if that is ever necessary.

Note the 4.5" secondary above the mirror. It's been attached to its mirror holder with silicone also.