Getting to Know Reflecting and Refracting Telescopes
Telescopes are remarkable tools for looking at objects in the night sky and the essential part of any telescope is the objective. The objective lens is what allows the light into the telescope enabling you to visualize the projected images from the sky. Telescopes with larger objectives permit more light in and this means a clearer image for the observing astronomer.
The 2 fundamental designs of telescopes are reflecting telescopes and refracting telescopes. These two types are quite similar in overall design except for the way in which they collect light.
The Key Differences in Refracting and Reflecting Telescopes
The objective lens in refracting telescopes is a glass lens that is placed at the front of the telescope. The objective guides the light that it collects and refracts, or bends, it to transmit it to the eyepiece, which in turn enlarges the image. Refracting telescope technology is also usedin other occular equipment like binoculars, rifle scopes and spyglasses.
On the other hand, reflecting telescopes are unique because the objective lens is a mirror at the distal end of the telescope rather than a glass lens at the front. The mirror in a reflecting telescope has a dished shape, or a bowl like shape, which allows it to capture the light in the center of the mirror and direct it as one stream of light towards the eyepiece so the image can be seen by the observer.
Benefits of Using a Reflecting Telescope
Reflecting telescopes are the best choice by many astronomers for a range of reasons. A major reason is less distortion with a reflecting telescope than with a refracting telescope since the mirror is able to gather and reflect all wavelengths of color consistently. The utilizing of the mirrors instead of glass lenses makes reflecting telescopes more affordable than refracting telescopes.
When mirrors are used instead of glass lenses, the telescope can be enlarged to allow for the supports for the mirror to be located on the bottom end of the telescope. The larger the mirror that is used, the more light can be reflected and the better and clearer the image will be.
Disadvantages of the Reflecting Telescope
Reflecting telescopes can have their own issues and problems as well. One problem can simply be the size of reflecting telescopes. As larger and larger mirrors are used, the telescopes have to grow in size to fit the mirrors inside. While you get better results with the larger reflecting telescopes, they are not what you would call easily portable and it can prove problematic finding a place to locate them when you are not using them.
Another problem is that reflecting telescopes may demand to have the mirrors from time to time to support them working perfectly and to maximize the light that is captured.
Many of the best-selling telescope brands provide both refracting and reflecting style telescopes for the unprofessional explorer.
Almost all of the leading telescopes used in research are reflectors. Reflecting telescopes come in many design versions and may utilise additional visual elements to enhance image quality or place the image in a mechanically advantageous position. Since reflecting telescopes employ mirrors, the design is often referred to as a catatropic telescope.