Different Types of Telescopes

Astronomy is a science that benefits greatly from advances in technology. As a hobby, the same
is true, but the starting point should always be to keep things simple… But it can start getting
complicated quickly when you are looking to buy your first telescope! At first it can seem that
there are so many types of telescopes to choose from and factors to consider.

Essentially, as a beginner you only need to decide between three basic types of telescopes. These
are the reflecting telescope, the refracting telescope and a hybrid of the two called a compound
or catadioptric telescope.

Reflecting Telescopes / Newtonian Telescopes

Reflecting telescopes, also known as Newtonians, are possibly the type of telescope most novice
enthusiasts go for. This simple design uses mirrors to gather and focus light.

Advantages
There are several advantages to using a reflecting telescope over a refracting telescope,
especially as a beginner.

 One of the main advantages of reflecting telescopes is in the simple fact that they are
constructed with mirrors instead of lenses. This is because mirrors avoid chromatic
aberration, a problem common to lenses. Lenses – found in refracting telescopes – bend
light differently depending on its wavelength (think of a prism!).
Mirrors have the potential to produce better images because they reflect all wavelengths of light
equally.

 The simpler design of these telescopes makes them generally cheaper to construct and
therefore kinder on your pocket. An expensive telescope isn’t necessarily better,
especially when considering your specific needs. You need a telescope that will be easy
to use and do the basics well. This is how you keep your passion for observing alive,
rather than becoming easily frustrated by something complicated that you don’t
understand.
 Their design and how cost effective they are to make also means that it’s easier to make
bigger reflectors. Aperture – the size of your main mirror or lens – helps determine the
light gathering power of your telescope. Generally, the larger the surface area, the more
light can be gathered.
Aperture is an important factor in choosing a telescope, but be careful! A large telescope is
cumbersome to move, set up, and pack away. What good is that if you need to travel for clear
skies? Rather get a telescope that fits in your car and is ready to use in a matter of minutes.

Disadvantages
Reflectors are great but they certainly aren’t perfect. The main issues they suffer are comas,
collimation, and air currents – all of which affect the clarity of images.

 Coma is a defect that causes a focused image to look almost comet-like (hence the term
coma) around the edge of the field of view.
 Picture this: it is a cold day out. You blow your warm breath against a cold window or
mirror and it clouds up. The same thing can happen to your mirrors in your telescope! If
there is a significant difference in temperature of the mirrors and the air outside, you
could end up with fuzzy images.
 Reflecting telescopes are usually built with two mirrors – a primary and secondary. Light
is gathered at the primary mirror (the large one) and is then reflected to the secondary
(smaller) mirror. The light is then reflected to the eyepiece which magnifies the image.
The thing is, this secondary mirror and its supporting structures, is essentially also obstructing
the light and can reduce contrast and cause diffraction spikes (those cross-shaped lines that
radiate from stars and other bright sources of light) respectively.

 Another issue results from the primary and secondary mirrors – collimation, or keeping
the mirrors aligned. They can get out of alignment from the transporting the telescope or
even just handling the telescope.
The mirrors also need to be cleaned regularly and recoated every few years.

In other words, reflecting telescopes require a good level of maintenance. Knowing how to
collimate your reflecting telescope is important, and with a good telescope, it is not difficult to
do at all.

Refractors

Refracting telescopes use lenses in place of mirrors.

Advantages
 Refractor telescopes can be great for novices because they require little maintenance
when compared to reflectors. Of the maintenance niggles you can avoid with refracting
telescopes, not having to collimate your telescope is probably the most advantageous.
A refracting telescope’s lenses are fixed, therefore won’t become misaligned like a reflector’s
mirrors would.
  The design of refractors tend to be hardier, meaning bumps and shocks from handling
and transporting your telescope won’t affect the optics as it would with reflecting
telescopes. They stay in better condition for longer, and so they often work out to be
much more of an investment.
 Refractors don’t have a secondary optic (the secondary mirror in reflectors) obscuring the
path of the light to an eyepiece, so they generally produce images with far better contrast
than reflecting telescopes.
 Images can also be sharper due to the fact that a refractor’s tube is closed off from the
outside. This means that air currents and the temperature from outside won’t affect the
lens.
 They can actually be easier to use for viewing (the whole point of a telescope!) for
children, people of smaller stature, or even people that may have issues standing for
extended periods of time. This is because the eyepiece is located at the end of the tube of
the telescope, unlike in reflectors where the eyepiece is located on the top of the tube. So,
you can even sit while you look through a refracting telescope if you would like.
Disadvantages
 Refracting telescopes can be expensive pieces of equipment, especially for someone who
is a part time hobbyist or a novice.
 Refracting telescopes, no matter how good they are, suffer from chromatic aberration –
the different wavelengths/ colours of light don’t all focus at the same point, producing a
rainbow of colours that can affect the quality of an image.
 It is tricky making refracting telescopes with a very large apertures because of the weight
of large lenses, among other factors.
 Long objective focal lengths are common in older refractor designs and some newer ones
too, so they can be difficult to transport.
Catadioptric
Finally, consider compound or catadioptric telescopes when looking at different types of
telescopes to choose from. These can be considered hybrids of the reflecting and refracting
telescopes that combine the best of both worlds. They have a shorter length overall and are easily
portable. They also do well in correcting the aberrations the separate telescopes suffer from.

On the other hand, they are more expensive than reflecting telescopes, and still have some of the
issues the individual telescopes face. Examples include having to collimate the telescope (not as
often as a reflecting telescope though), and obstructions from secondary mirrors.

Overall, I would recommend a small to medium sized reflector to the first time telescope owner
and novice stargazer, but it will depend entirely on your individual needs and preferences, as
well as your budget and level of experience.

If you get the chance, attend a star party! Some kind people will probably be willing to let you
test out their telescopes, and that way you can get an idea of the usability of each kind.