To understand how NAYUTA collects light, we must first take a look at the basic mechanism of a reflector telescope.

The surface of the primary mirror is slightly parabolic in order to gather light at a single point. An observation instrument may be placed here, but by attaching a secondary mirror instead, the gathered light is allowed to return to the precise center of the parabolic primary mirror. In this case, the observation instrument is attached to the back side of the primary mirror.

This combination of primary and secondary mirrors also allows the total length of the telescope to be short, and is commonly employed in medium- and large-scale reflector telescopes.

In addition to these two mirrors, NAYUTA has a third mirror that plays a critical role.