in optics, the maximum diameter of a light beam that can pass through an optical system. The size of an aperture is limited by the size of the mount holding the optical component, or the size of the diaphragm placed in the bundle of light rays. The hole in the mount or diaphragm that limits the size of the aperture is called an aperture stop. Thus, an aperture stop determines the amount of light that traverses an optical system and hence determines the image illumination.

Closely related to the aperture stop is its image, called the entrance pupil of the optical system. The angle that the diameter of the entrance pupil subtends at an object point is called the angular aperture, which can be taken as a measure of the light-gathering power of the instrument. See also pupil; relative aperture.