![]() ![]() Picking the Right Type of Telescope for Your Needs The catadioptrics’ small size and portability give them a convenience not found in reflectors of the same class, making them a great investment for both beginners and experienced astronomers alike. If well taken-care of, a compound scope can go for years without requiring collimation. However, unlike with reflectors, this procedure needs to be performed far less frequently. Since it uses mirrors much like a reflector, a catadioptric scope will require collimation. There are many variations on this design, including Schmidt-Cassegrains and Maksutov-Cassegrains. This is made possible by the corrector plate that folds the light path and the curved secondary mirror that magnifies the light internally. Most modern reflecting telescopes come with a finder scope or a red dot finder, so you most likely won’t have to make an additional purchase to acquire this.Ĭatadioptrics combine the optical benefits of both lenses and mirrors into a compact, convenient package, being smaller and more portable than either refractors or reflectors of the same aperture. For this reason, you’ll want to use your scope’s finder to line it up with the objects you want to see before looking through the eyepiece. By default, the image you see through a reflector’s eyepiece will be upside down. There are some things you should consider about the reflector telescope design. ![]() Just make sure you are able to store and transport it safely, as they can get unwieldy. With this in mind, purchasing the largest reflector you can afford is a great low-cost way to get a high-aperture scope. They can also come in a variety of sizes and can get quite large. Reflectors can be a great value with many conveniences. This is especially true for Dobsonian telescopes, which come with their own easy-to-use rocker-box mount. If you’re looking for a lot of bang for your buck in terms of aperture, reflectors are a great way to go. Given that manufacturing large mirrors is often cheaper than manufacturing large lenses, it’s fairly common for reflectors to be much less expensive type of telescope, when compared to refractor telescopes.Īdditionally, reflectors are not susceptible to color fringing in the same way that doublet refractors are. This often causes reflectors to be shorter than refractors of the same aperture, as the light doesn’t need to flow in a straight line to move the same distance. Reflectors use mirrors, which causes light to reflect at various angles within the optical tube, extending the overall light path. It's also one of the most popular types of telescopes available today. Their non-movable lenses make for a sturdy design that doesn’t need much maintenance beyond the occasional cleaning. Still, whether a doublet or triplet, refractors are a solidly built type of telescope. Most low-cost refractors are “doublets,” which may have color fringing, whereas “triplet” refractors are designed to eliminate this issue.Įxample of chromatic aberration, a common problem with lower cost refractor telescopes Also known as chromatic aberration, color fringing is when the various colored wavelengths of light get split from each other and arrive at slightly different angles, showing up as an image with distinct coloration at the edges. Most refractors available for purchase tend to be smaller than other types of telescopes, making refractors one of the most portable types of telescopes on the market.ĭepending on the type of telescope lenses used for the optics, you may encounter visible color fringing at high magnifications. The length and size of the lens of a refractor, combined with the fact that large lenses can be difficult and expensive for glassmakers to manufacture with high quality and accuracy, means that larger refractors can get rather expensive. The larger the lenses in a refracting telescope, the longer the optical tube has to be to bring the image into focus. They are usually long relative to their overall size, as light must flow in a straight path through the telescope tube to the eyepiece or camera. Refractor Telescopes utilize specially designed lenses to focus incoming light into an image for you to see with your eye or capture with a telescope camera. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |