Chopping (astronomy)

Chopping is a technique used with infrared telescopes to minimize interference from external or internal heat.

By comparing separate images, it becomes much easier to tell what the background heat is and what is coming from the object in question.

Both observatories utilize tilt-tip correction to ensure that the image quality remains crisp.

This telescope utilized its Second Mirror Assembly (SMA) primarily for chopping and also partially for small corrections.

[7] Additionally, it doesn't use chopping because it is meant to bore into deep space, and the angle would have to be refocused depending on how far away the object is.

This diagram shows the full cycle of chopping. It first points directly at the object in focus. It then tilts in one direction and then the same distance in the opposite direction.