With ordinary mirror, light must pass through a layer of glass
before reflecting off the silvering on the back of the mirror.
Since glass is not perfectly clear this dims the image. The image
is also blurred by “ghost images” that reflect off the front
of the glass. Most inexpensive kaleidoscopes use ordinary mirror,
plastic mirror, or polished metal, all of which create blurred,
vague images.
The use of Front Surface Mirror (also known as First Surface Mirror)
solves these problems. Front surface mirror is made by vacuum depositing
an aluminum coating onto the front surface of glass. Because of
its high reflectivity, front surface mirror is always used in cameras,
telescopes, and other precision optical instruments. In a kaleidoscope,
the patterns and colors are much sharper and more intense than
would be possible using ordinary mirror. That is why we provide
pre-cut pieces of front surface mirror in every Clarity kaleidoscope
kit! |
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