aperture
Physics
a. a usually circular and often variable opening in an optical instrument or device that controls the quantity of radiation entering or leaving it
b. the diameter of such an opening
Collins Discovery Encyclopedia, 1st edition © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
aperture
The diameter of the unobscured portion of the objective lens in a refracting telescope or of the primary mirror in a reflector. In a radio telescope it is the physical size of the antenna. As the aperture is increased, the telescope gathers more light, radio waves, etc., and thus will discern fainter objects: the radiation-gathering power depends on area, i.e. on the square of the aperture. A larger aperture also produces a smaller Airy disk and so has greater spatial resolution.Collins Dictionary of Astronomy © Market House Books Ltd, 2006
Aperture
An opening for the purpose of admitting light.
Illustrated Dictionary of Architecture Copyright © 2012, 2002, 1998 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved
aperture
[′ap·ə‚chər] (electronics)
An opening through which electrons, light, radio waves, or other radiation can pass.
(graphic arts)
A rectangular cutout on an aperture card.
(optics)
The diameter of the objective of a telescope or other optical instrument, usually expressed in inches, but sometimes as the angle between lines from the principal focus to opposite ends of a diameter of the objective.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific & Technical Terms, 6E, Copyright © 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
aperture
(1) An orifice. It often refers to an opening in which light is allowed to pass in optical systems such as cameras and lasers. See f-stop and numerical aperture.(2) (Aperture) A photo editing and management application for the Mac from Apple. Introduced in 2005 and used by professional photographers, Aperture provides sophisticated touch-up tools and works with the iPhoto library. See iLife.
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