Museo Galileo
italiano
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Virtual Museum
Burning mirror
    • Setting:
      Room XV
    • Maker:
      unknown
    • Date:
      18th cent.
    • Materials:
      metal, wood
    • Dimensions:
      height 860 mm, mirror diameter 385 mm, width 720 mm
    • Inventory:
      3727
    • Burning mirror (Inv. 3727)

Adjustable mirror mounted on a tooled wooden support. It was used for experiments on the reflection of light. It also served to heat or calcinate various substances. These were placed in the point where the solar rays reflected by the mirror were concentrated, producing very high temperatures.