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objective prism

American  

noun

Astronomy.

  1. a large prism placed in front of the objective lens or mirror of a telescope, allowing the simultaneous acquisition of the spectra of many stars.

Example Sentences

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Such a prism placed in front of the objective of a telescope is called an objective prism, and has been used for stellar work with marked success at the Harvard College Observatory.

From A Text-Book of Astronomy by Comstock, George C.

An objective prism eight inches square was attached, and exposures of a few minutes were given to the most sensitive plates that could be procured.

From A Popular History of Astronomy During the Nineteenth Century Fourth Edition by Clerke, Agnes M. (Agnes Mary)

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.