What is the difference between types of telescopes

This radiation dates back to the beginning of the universe, providing insights into the vast history of the cosmos. Not all types of telescopes are available to the general public. Even if they were, their astronomical price tags would prevent most people from buying them.

These are the telescopes that fall into the scientific class, meant specifically for astronomy professionals and scientific institutions to observe the farthest reaches of the cosmos. These telescopes have incredible powers that have pushed our knowledge of space, stars, the planets, and more, helping us to continually grow our understanding of the universe. Scientific class telescopes are complex, large instruments that require teams of people to operate, whole buildings to fit them, and massive budgets to build.

These are the telescopes at the forefront of astronomical science. Ultraviolet telescopes can tell us a lot about the physical components of distant planets and stars. They pull UV light apart into a spectrum so that brightness can be measured at each wavelength. Instead of a glass mirror, a liquid mirror telescope uses a rotating dish of highly reflective liquid, usually mercury. This method is used to create a telescope both quickly and inexpensively.

This type of telescope contains three parabolic mirrors that help correct aberrations such as spherical, astigmatism, and coma. Typically, the first mirror will correct any spherical aberrations on its own.

But adding a second and third mirror eliminate the other two aberrations. Together, they widen the field of view and provide a clearer image. Image credit: Jason Miller, Pinterest. Extremely hot objects in the universe radiate X-rays, so X-ray telescopes were invented to observe the effects of huge explosions, collapsed neutron stars, and black holes.

These telescopes tend to be barrel-shaped in order to harness the ricochet effect of X-rays when they strike a mirror. To detect this unfiltered radiation, X-ray telescopes must also be mounted on satellites.

A telescope used for astrophotography. Containing a spherical primary mirror and Schmidt corrector, the device sends light to a focal point where it is captured by film. The Dobsonian telescope has the same shortcomings as a reflector telescope as they share the same telescope tube design and optical elements.

That they are not mounted equatorially also means that they do not track objects as easily as other telescopes, making them unsuitable for anything beyond the simplest forms of astrophotography. This comprises of the spherical mirror at the back of the telescope that gathers light and a curved lens at the front of the telescope tube. A common first impression that many have when seeing a Maksutov-Cassegrain telescope is how small and portable it is, and concluding that therefore it must be a low power instrument.

While it is indeed a small and portable instrument, it is anything but low power. Due to the nature of their catadioptric design, the path of light is bent inside a Maksutov-Cassegrain telescope, resulting in a long focal length but a short physical tube.

They are excellent for planetary and lunar viewing due to their long focal lengths which allow higher magnifications to be achieved compared to both reflectors and refractors. The high focal ratios of these telescopes result in a much narrower fields of view than other telescope designs.

This limits them when looking at objects which take up larger sections of the sky such as nebulae and galaxies as it may be difficult or impossible to fit the entire object within the field of view.

Maksutov-Cassegrain telescopes are also relatively smaller in aperture as large sizes would require large and heavy lenses. The more modest apertures on these telescopes also limit their performance in regard to faint and dim objects. In summary, the Maksutov-Cassegrain is comparatively more specialised in what its design allows. Its small size, low weight, and need for little maintenance, a Maksutov-Cassegrain telescope may be the perfect telescope for those who favour convenience and are looking for a grab and go telescope, especially for lunar and planetary viewing.

So, which telescope is the right one for you? Well, that depends. Unfortunately, there is not a single answer to that question each time. Each telescope design has its own strengths and weaknesses, and will be more suitable for certain things and not others.

When it comes to telescopes, there are a variety of shapes and sizes. There are actually a few main types based on how they work and what they are used to view.

Since the first one was developed in the 17th century, people have been looking towards the stars. Buy On Our Store. Telescopes come in a few types based on what they are meant to view like space telescopes or solar telescopes. An optical telescope is one that an astronomer uses to view planets and galaxies with their eye pressed to an eyepiece.

The refracting telescope is of a type of optical telescope known as dioptrics. The refracting telescope is one of the simplest to use. There are two lenses in the refracting telescope. Light enters the end of the telescope, the lens refracts or bends the light, and the image is magnified for viewing through the eyepiece. The refracting telescope can be quite large and heavy. They usually have a large aperture for allowing more light to enter through the primary lens.

Looking through a telescope introduces you to a whole new world of unexpected wonders. But telescopes come in a huge range of sizes and shapes. Here's a detailed, printable guide to the essential features that every good scope needs to have.

By: Tony Flanders April 16, By: Tony Flanders January 10, No photograph can compare with the experience of viewing Saturn directly — something that's possible with even the smallest telescopes. By: Tony Flanders January 7, By: Tony Flanders December 10, It's tough to reconcile all the different constraints placed on a telescope for the airplane-traveling stargazer.

By: Tony Flanders May 4,