Image-plane incidence for a baffled infrared telescope

The on-axis image plane incidence of an extended object (sometimes also called irradiance), radiating as a Lambertian radiator is derived for an optical system with a central obscuration. It is then extended to off-axis image points to obtain a generalized form of image incidence for an extended source. A specific example is provided by the conceptual design proposed for the next generation US IR telescope facility, called SIRTF. An incidence error of 1% is obtained for a telescope with a large baffle around a small secondary mirror. The small error is attributed to the unusually small diameter of the secondary mirror.