home / advice / telescopes

Telescopes

A telescope is a device used to view objects that are extremely far away. Most commonly, a telescope is used for astronomical purposes such as stargazing. The word telescope comes from the Greek words “tele” and “skopein” which means “far” and “look”. 

Today, there are three types of telescopes available; a Refractor Telescope, a Reflector Telescope and a Maksutov-Cassegrain Telescope.

A Refractor Telescope

The reflecting telescope is an optical telescope that uses a single or combination of concaved mirrors that reflect light and form an image. The mirror reflects the light rays to a secondary mirror and this mirror reflects them through to the eyepiece.

Advantages of the Refractor Telescope:

• Appropriate for viewing planets
• Extremely sharp display for viewing planets and weather  
• Lenses up to the size of 100mm are very affordable 

Disadvantages of the Refractor Telescope: 

• Lenses bigger than 100mm are quite expensive 
• Due to the lack of light captured through the refractor lens, using this telescope in foggy weather is not ideal

A Reflector Telescope

The reflecting telescope is an optical telescope that uses a single or combination of concaved mirrors that reflect light and form an image. The mirror reflects the light rays to a secondary mirror and this mirror reflects them through to the eyepiece.

Advantages of the Reflector Telescope:

• Reflector telescopes are generally cheaper than refractor telescopes in relation to size
• Reflector are appropriate for deep-sky observations

Disadvantages of the Reflector Telescope:

• Less appropriate for planet observations (through the use of an additional mirror, there is less detail visible)
• Every so often, the mirrirs in the telescope need to adjusted in order to maintain their position opposite each other

A Maksutov-Cassegraintelescope:

The Maksutov-Cassegrain telescope uses a combination of mirrors and lenses. This telescope combines the advantages of both the reflecting telescope and the refractor telescope. The Maksutov-Cassegrain telescope uses a curved mirror in the back, which reflects the light back to a double concave lens. On the back of this lens is a mirror that sends the light to the eyepiece, allowing you to view the object you wish to see.

Advantages of the Maksutov-Cassegrain Telescope:

• Has the same advantages as the refractor and reflector telescopes combined
• Generally, these telescopes are quite compact

Disadvantages of the Maksutov-Cassegrain Telescope:

• Quite expensive as you can purchase a reflector telescope with a bigger diameter for the same price as a smaller maksutov-cassegrain

Purchasing a Telescope.

Now you know the different types telescopes, you might want to purchase one. But which other thing you will have to take into account when purchasing a Telescope. For this, we have written the page: Telescopes, Important Terms