The Different Types Of Reflecting Telescopes

Reflecting telescopes use mirrors instead of lenses

. These mirrors gather light to magnify an image. The mirrors are curved so there is less chance of chromatic aberration or spherical aberration. What all this means is that it makes the reflecting telescope better able to capture varying wavelengths of light and make clearer images for the viewer.

Here is a look at the different kinds of reflecting telescopes:

Gregorian Reflector. Even though these are reflecting telescopes, they are shaped like refractors. The difference is that a Gregorian houses two mirrors inside. The primary mirror is near the eyepiece and it reflects an image to the secondary flat mirror that reflects the image back to a hole in the primary mirror and into the eyepiece.

Newtonian Reflector. This was the first type of reflector to work well. This has a curved mirror at the bottom of the telescope tube that focuses and reflects images toward a flat secondary mirror at the top of the telescope tube. The secondary mirror is situated at a 45 degree angle so the image is then directed to the eyepiece mounted on the side of the telescope. Newtonian reflecting telescopes are very simple in design and are among the more affordable choices for amateur astronomers.

Cassegrain Reflector. This is one of the most popular designs in reflecting telescopes. It works along the same method as the Gregorian Reflector but the difference between the two is that the secondary mirror in the Cassegrain is also curved rather than flat like in the Gregorian. This gives the telescope a much wider field of view. For this reason, professionals who choose reflecting telescopes choose those made with the Cassegrain design.

Off-Axes Designs. Off axes reflecting telescopes include the Herschelian, Yolo, and Schiefspiegler styles. These work along the same principals as other reflectors but instead of using secondary mirrors or using primary mirrors with holes in them, the off axes designs use a primary mirror that is placed at a specific angle. Because the angle must be fixed, this causes the telescopes to have awkward shapes. For that reason these are not very popular but they are still effective nonetheless.

Choosing the right kind of telescope for gazing at the stars in your backyard can be overwhelming if you are new to astronomy. Learn more about the different kinds of telescopes, including the best reflecting telescopes for beginner, amateur and even professional use, at MagnifySpace.com.

by: Jon Fotheringham

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