Optical Systems

Introduction   So far we have been talking about single lenses and mirrors. These are very useful, of course, but by using lenses and mirrors in combination with each other, much more flexible optical devices can be created. Some optical systems can have six, ten or even more lenses and mirrors.

The basic idea of optical systems is fairly simply stated: Light hitting the first lens or mirror will create an image, either real or virtual. This image then becomes the object for the second lens or mirror. The image created by that becomes the object for the next lens or mirror. Each image is the object for the next lens or mirror in the system.