Types of Telescopes You Didn't Know About

A telescope helps to magnify the images of distant objects, and provides us with a detailed view of the heavenly objects in space. There are many varieties of telescopes used for different purposes, and their features vary according to their make and the principles of working.

There are three basic types of telescopes, and how they work depends on their functioning principles. Each of them has a specific purpose. They help you to view distant celestial objects, and also help you to understand related phenomenon like electromagnetic radiation.

The ones used in astronomy include space telescopes, which help scientists and astronomers to study the sky. There are solar telescopes, which can be used for studies regarding the sun. One of the low-cost examples used by amateurs is the Dobsonian telescope.

Refracting Telescopes: They use lenses to gather light and bend them into a tube. The light bounces off the mirror at the opposite end of the tube, and falls at the eyepiece for viewing. They are used to observe celestial as well as terrestrial objects.

Reflector Telescopes: They are large in size, and use curved mirrors. There are two mirrors that reflect light, and make the image appear inverted. They are used to view deep space objects.

Cassegrain Telescopes: They are based on the combination principle of reflector and refractor telescopes. They use two mirrors and a folded optical path. These are portable, and one can also use a computer to control them.

They are used for viewing celestial objects in radio astronomy, and are made from dishes in groups or pairs. They are a type of directional radio antenna, which tracks and collects information from the satellites and space probes. They work on the radio frequency portion of the electromagnetic spectrum.

They are used to observe objects in the X-ray spectrum. They use mirrors and coded apertures to visualize images. The mirrors are made up of heavy metals, and are rotated on an ellipse, parabola, or hyperbola.

They are used in astronomy, and do not use an optical system to form an image. They are made from special materials, as the high energy particles tend to go through most of the metals and glasses. They are high-end space telescopes used by few space observatories.

Most of us tend to use the optical telescopes for observing celestial or terrestrial bodies. Moreover, money is one factor that you need to consider, when investing in such devices.