Telescopes: The Basics

The Refractor

What: Refractors have an elongated tube, with an eyepiece at the rear and a lens at the front.  This is the most familiar and oldest of telescope designs.  The lens captures light that focuses it at the back of the tube.  Known for sharp and unobstructed views, refractors also tend to be the most expensive telescopes (per inch of aperture).

Who: Refractors with smaller apertures are reliable and durable for beginners.  Serious observers prize the wide-field, high-contrast images that larger refractors offer.

For: Refractors are great for bright objects, such as the Moon, stars, planets, and clusters.  They are also good for city stargazing and even daytime land viewing. 

Types:

Anchromatic- this simple design uses two lenses, and is effective and affordable; but can cause a slight halo around bright objects.

Apochromatic- this design uses more expensive technology to color-correct images and offers some of the finest views in astronomy.

The Reflector

What: Reflectors have an elongated tube with an eyepiece at the top and a mirror at the bottom.  They capture and reflect light in a curved mirror, focusing it near the top of the tube.  Reflectors tend to be the least expensive of telescopes and allow exploration of the deepest areas of space.

Who: Deep sky observers of all ability levels enjoy the portability of reflectors. 

For: Reflectors, while not suitable for daytime or land viewing, offer high resolution of faint deep sky nebulas, clusters and galaxies.

Types:

Newtonian- this is the classic reflector design.

Dobsonian- this design takes the Newtonian reflector and adds a simple box-like mount that allows rotation and pivoting. 

Schmidt-Newtonian- this hybrid optical design adds a front corrector lens to the standard Newtonian design.  (Exclusive to Meade)

The Catadioptric (Compound)

What: Compound telescopes are classified as any telescope that uses a combination of lenses and mirrors (also known as Catadioptric).  They combine the best features of refractors and reflectors into one.  Compound telescopes are the most popular telescopes, due to their excellent optical performance, compact size, and affordability. 

Who: Compound telescopes are used by the whole spectrum of observers.  From casual observers who desire portability, large aperture and research quality optics to serious observers, researchers, universities and observatories all over the world. 

For: Compound telescopes are used for premium astrophotography and observation of everything, bright and faint alike. 

Types:

Schmidt-Cassegrain- this design is the most widely used of all telescopes, and is hard to beat in terms of portability, affordability and all-around features.

Maksutov-Cassegrain- this telescope is similar to the Schmidt-Cassegrain, but even more compact, due to a spherical corrector lens.

Ritchey-Chrétien- this is the premium choice for astrophotography, however very expensive to build.

Understanding Aperture

Aperture is the ability of something to gather light.  Magnification is important, however a magnified dim image, is just that.  Experienced astronomers will tell you that aperture is everything. The bigger the aperture is, the brighter and higher the resolution of your image.  Keep in mind though, as the aperture increases, so does the size of the telescope.