Reflecting telescope pros and cons8/10/2023 You look through an eyepiece on the side of the tube up near the top. Reflecting telescopes use a huge concave parabolic mirror instead of a lens to gather and focus the light to a flat secondary mirror that in turn reflects the image out of an opening at the side of the main tube. Good-quality refractors cost more per inch of aperture than any other kind of telescope.Heavier, longer and bulkier than equivalent aperture reflectors and catadioptrics.Less suited for viewing small and faint deep sky objects such as distant galaxies and nebulae. Generally have small apertures, typically 3 to 5 inches.Sealed tube protects optics and reduces image degrading air currents.Excellent for lunar, planetary and binary stargazing especially with larger apertures.Easy to use and consistent due to the simplicity of design.Refracting telescopes are the most common form of the telescope - a long, thin tube where light passes in a straight line from the front objective lens directly to the eyepiece at the opposite end of the tube. Consequently, each type of telescope has its pros and cons, which you can match with your observing needs. They also have a similar purpose, to collect light and bring it to a point of focus so it can be magnified and examined with an eyepiece, but each does it differently. There are three basic kinds of telescope to choose from depending on your specific requirements.Īll 3 telescopes have the same light-gathering properties, despite their differences in size and weight. In either case, the lowest powers are the easiest to use, especially for beginners, and provide the most pleasant views.Įven among telescopes with the same aperture, some designs are more portable, others give sharper images while still others are more economical. Using a very high power lens with a small-aperture telescope will show a highly magnified fuzz while with a large-aperture scope can show a meaningful image even at 200x or more. Remember to match the power of your eyepiece lens with the aperture of your scope for clear images. Most telescopes come with several eyepieces and you can buy more separately. You can make any telescope magnify at effectively any power you want by using different eyepieces.Īn eyepiece is the small removable lens assembly you look into. This is a critical factor since it decides how close a view you can get of the space and planets. Power is the magnification that the telescope can offer. Keeping aperture in mind, consider other important aspects like power and design before you make up your mind about the telescope you would like to purchase. And a scope that is too huge to carry outdoors and too long-drawn-out to set up, will rarely be of use. And don't forget that you may have to assemble and set up your telescope in the dark making it even more difficult. If you need to carry the telescope to darker skies away from city lights, you will definitely need something compact, yet powerful. If you make your decision based solely on the size of aperture, you might end up owning a massive telescope that sits in a corner gathering dust.Īsk yourself, where will I want to use my new telescope? If the answer is nearby in the backyard then having a large telescope will be of advantage to you. However in practice it's not so straightforward. For example a good 10" aperture scope shows sharper images than even a well-made 6" aperture telescope.īut since aperture is so important, many astronomers are misled into believing that getting the biggest aperture you can afford is the simplest way to choosing the best telescope for you. Depending on the aperture you will either see an open or a restricted field of view. Technically, this is the diameter of the main lens or mirror and as the aperture increases so does the details of the image you see. Whether you are an amateur astronomer or veteran pathfinder, here are a few basic ground rules that will help you better identify the different types of telescopes and help you opt for the ideal one for you.Ī telescope's most important attribute is its aperture, which determines the brightness and sharpness of everything you see through your scope. And most of us are left wondering, so which telescope is for me? Understanding telescopes and their various accessories can go a long way in choosing the best one for you. Purchasing a new telescope can be baffling, especially for the first timer.
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