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focal plane

noun Optics.
  1. a plane through a focal point and normal to the axis of a lens, mirror, or other optical system.Compare principal plane.
  2. the transverse plane in a telescope where the real image of a distant view is in focus.
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Origin of focal plane

First recorded in 1890–95
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
British Dictionary definitions for focal plane

focal plane

noun
  1. the plane that is perpendicular to the axis of a lens or mirror and passes through the focal point
  2. the plane in a telescope, camera, or other optical instrument in which a real image is in focus
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Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012