What are optical telescopes made of?
There are three primary types of optical telescope: Refracting telescopes, which use lenses and less commonly also prisms (dioptrics) Reflecting telescopes, which use mirrors (catoptrics) Catadioptric telescopes, which combine lenses and mirrors.
An optical telescope is a telescope which is used to gather, and focus light, for directly viewing a magnified image, making a photograph, etc. The term is used especially for a monocular with static mounting for observing the sky. Handheld binoculars are common for other purposes.
Telescope components
Primary mirror (for reflecting telescopes), which carries the same role as the primary lens in a refracting telescopes. Eyepiece, which magnifies the image. Mounting, which supports the tube, enabling it to be rotated. Telescopes can be divided into two main categories: refractors and reflectors.
Refracting telescopes use lenses to focus the light and reflecting telescopes use mirrors. Refracting telescopes work by using two lenses to focus the light and make it look like the object is closer to you. Both lenses are in a shape that's called convex.
Place the two magnifying glasses in their slots (big one at front, little one at back) and tape them in with the duct tape. Leave about 0.5 - 1 inch (1 - 2 cm) of tube behind the small magnifying glass and cut off any excess tube remaining. Glue first length of paper around one of the magnifying glasses.
Today the site of the world's largest grouping of large optical telescopes is atop Mauna Kea on the island of Hawaii. Most notable in this array of instruments are the two 10-metre (394-inch) Keck telescopes, the 8.2-metre (320-inch) Subaru Telescope, and the two 8.1-metre (319-inch) Gemini telescopes.
They use the combination of both a convex lens and mirrors to permit very fast focal ratios. The most famous catadioptric telescope designs are: Schmidt–Cassegrain design.
An optical telescope consists of two main elements: the objective, which focuses light rays together to form an image of a distant object, and the eyepiece, which acts like a magnifying glass to provide an enlarged view of the image formed by the objective. The eyepiece consists of a lens or combination of lenses.
Light gathering and resolution. The most important of all the powers of an optical telescope is its light-gathering power. This capacity is strictly a function of the diameter of the clear objective—that is, the aperture—of the telescope.
There are two main types of optical telescope - reflectors and refractors. Reflectors use a mirror to collect the light, whilst refractors use a lens. Generally, reflectors are better for deep sky objects whilst refractors are useful for planetary observations.
What is the best material for a telescope?
Glass: Glass is a popular choice for telescope mirrors and lenses because it is relatively easy to shape, has excellent optical properties, and is relatively stable over time. In addition, glass can be made with a variety of optical properties, allowing it to be tailored for specific telescope designs and applications.
Optical glass is a high purity glass used in the production of lenses needed for high precision as in spectacles, telescopes, microscopes, cameras, etc. The major raw materials for these are sand, soda ash, lead oxide and boron.
Types of glass such as window glass, BK7 or Pyrex are commonly used in telescopes manufactured in large batches. Zerodur, a development by Schott, is relatively expensive and so is rarely used.
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