Telescopes
A telescope is an optical instrument designed to make distant objects become enlarged. It is believed that telescopes were invented by a range of scientists around 1608; however Hans Lippershey (a spectacle maker) is most prominently credited in scientific research literature. Telescopes contain a range of lenses, or of curved mirrors, whereby rays of light are collected, resulting in the image being magnified. There are many different telescopes which are used for a range of purposes where the main goal is to examine celestial bodies. In particular, the refracting and the reflecting telescope will be explained further in this passage.
The refracting telescope works like a magnifying glass and consists of a tube with a glass lens at each end. This telescope uses a convex glass lens which bends light and brings it into focus. The lens is more thick in the centre, in comparison to the edges. This bends the light at the edge. As a result of this all of the light is able to come together at a focus point. It is at the focus point in which the image is produced. When looked through the eyepiece a concave lens enlarges the image. The Mauna Kea observatory currently holds the largest refracting telescope that has a mirror of 9.82 metres.
A different type of telescope is the reflecting telescope. The reflecting telescope was invented and constructed by Sir Isaac Newton. The reflecting telescope uses a curved concave mirror to magnify the image. Despite there being a few modifications on the reflecting telescope since then, the principal in reflecting telescopes currently still remains the same. When using a reflecting telescope for astronomical observations it has many advantages over the refracting telescope. Reflecting telescopes are capable of giving greater enlargement/magnification, clearer images and are also less in shortness, making them more manageable. Majority of professional observatories select reflecting telescopes over refracting.
The refracting telescope works like a magnifying glass and consists of a tube with a glass lens at each end. This telescope uses a convex glass lens which bends light and brings it into focus. The lens is more thick in the centre, in comparison to the edges. This bends the light at the edge. As a result of this all of the light is able to come together at a focus point. It is at the focus point in which the image is produced. When looked through the eyepiece a concave lens enlarges the image. The Mauna Kea observatory currently holds the largest refracting telescope that has a mirror of 9.82 metres.
A different type of telescope is the reflecting telescope. The reflecting telescope was invented and constructed by Sir Isaac Newton. The reflecting telescope uses a curved concave mirror to magnify the image. Despite there being a few modifications on the reflecting telescope since then, the principal in reflecting telescopes currently still remains the same. When using a reflecting telescope for astronomical observations it has many advantages over the refracting telescope. Reflecting telescopes are capable of giving greater enlargement/magnification, clearer images and are also less in shortness, making them more manageable. Majority of professional observatories select reflecting telescopes over refracting.