active optics
noun plural in form but usually singular in construction
astronomy
: an optical telescopic system that improves image resolution by compensating for distortions in the material or shape of a mirror
Another technological trick called active optics will nullify changes in the telescope's structure that result from the effects of gravity and temperature.
Thomas Levenson, Discover, February 2006
compare adaptive optics Thomas Levenson, Discover, February 2006
Word History
First Known Use
1968, in the meaning defined above