What is a reflector telescope?

Question

Santiago Arce · Accepted Answer

A telescope that uses mirrors.

All modern telescopes are Reflector Telescopes. In the beginning telescopes were made using lenses. But the problem with lenses is that they can suffer from chromatic aberration, a condition in which different colored images will form at different places. This problem was rectified by Isaac Newton who used mirrors instead of lenses in telescopes. The reflector telescope contains two mirrors, a primary large mirror, which is parabolic and collects light directly from a distant object.

The secondary mirror which is smaller and flat, collects light reflected from the primary mirror and focuses it onto the eye piece.

The larger the collecting area of the mirror the further and better you can see.

The secondary mirror which is smaller and flat, collects light reflected from the primary mirror and focuses it onto the eye piece.

The larger the collecting area of the mirror the further and better you can see.

Nova Anderson · Answer

undefined A reflector telescope is a type of telescope that uses mirrors to gather and focus light. It typically consists of a concave primary mirror that collects incoming light and reflects it to a smaller, flat secondary mirror, which in turn reflects the light to an eyepiece or camera. This design allows for larger apertures and shorter focal lengths compared to refractor telescopes, making reflector telescopes well-suited for observing faint celestial objects and deep-sky phenomena.