The convex, or refractive lens at the and of a refracting telescope refracts, of bends, light as it enters the glass and focuses is on a single plane. This causes the image to appear upside down, but the concave lens on which the image is focused makes it appear upside right. By using a refracting telescope, the image can appear not only closer, but also brighter and clearer.

While Galileo refracting telescopes are still widely used today, they offer a limited field of view. For example, the Chabot Space and Science Center in Oakland, California houses an eight-inch and a 20-inch refracting telescope. Their simplicity may also shows signs of spherical aberrations. Achromatic lenses, developed in 1773, uses a convex lens and a flat lens placed together to help reduce spherical and chromatic problems.

Working To Keep Colors Together

The biggest problem with a refracting telescope is that during the refracting of the light, the color spectrum tends to separate during the light bending process. This is referred to as chromatic aberration and, although using concave and flat lenses together, creating an achromatic lens has reduced this problem, it is still a concern in larger lenses. A 26-inch telescope in Washington, D.C. is one of the largest in the country.

Although glass for lenses as large as 40-inches has been cast, they have not been used due to the imperfections in the glass distorting the color rays as it passes through. The importance of have the entire spectrum hit the focal place at the same time and in the same position is what has stopped refracting telescope construction for professional use.

Some observatories still use a refracting telescope and many private users find them useful for astrology observations as the lens’ position within the enclosed tube can provide a steadier image as opposed to a reflective telescope that counts on mirror reflecting the image from the objective lens to the eyepiece. As light from an image enters it will be reflected by the primary mirror to a secondary mirror and then to the eyepiece.

In addition, there are two types of telescopes. One type of telescope is called the refractor telescope and the other is known as the reflecting telescope. The difference between these two telescopes is how the light is captured.

Refracting and Reflecting Telescope

The refracting telescope obtains the light through its objective that is made out of glass. Basically, in this type of telescope, the glass lens is situated towards the front of the telescope. As the light is captured by the objective, it is then refracted or deflected through a lens which allows for the viewed image to be magnified. Examples of this type of telescopic equipment include scopes that are used on rifles, binoculars and spyglasses.

A reflecting telescope uses a mirror as its objective. This mirror is located towards the distal end of the telescope. In addition, the mirror has a concave shape. The curvature of the mirror allows for the midpoint of the mirror to be the focal point for all of the light that strikes each part of the surface of the bowl-like mirror. This reflection is then captured by the lens to view the item of interest.

Advantages Of The Reflecting Telescope

There are several advantages to the use of a reflecting telescope. The major advantage is that distortion of what is being viewed is minimal. This is because, through the use of the mirror, the wavelengths are all reflected consistently. This advantage also leads to the reflecting telescope being less expensive than the refracting telescope.

In addition, through the use of the mirror as the objective, the support for this mirror can be all along the posterior portion of the telescope. This allows for the housing to be very large which will accommodate a larger mirror. Larger mirrors mean more light which results in increased visibility.

Disadvantages

However, as with anything else, there are a few disadvantages in the use of a reflecting telescope. One of those disadvantages is size. This is due to the fact that these types of telescopes can accommodate larger mirrors. This results in the telescope itself being larger which may prove to be an issue when storing or relocating the reflecting telescope.

In addition, because of the use of mirrors, there may need to be occasional adjustments made so that optimum light alignment is maintained.

To see beyond what astronomers can see using traditional telescopes, which count on visible light for their viewing, a radio telescope is designed to hear the sounds from outer space as opposed to the sights. Most designed as a parabolic antenna, a radio telescope allows the user to listen to sounds emanating from sources in space.

Most people with an interest in space have probably heard of the Search for ExtraTerrestrial Activity (SETA), which is a group of people monitoring space for signals with a radio telescope that may indicate life from outer space. To date there has been no success in isolating sounds from space that can be blamed on extraterrestrial sources, except of course in movies.

Neutral hydrogen and carbon monoxide are examples of radio waves picked up with a radio telescope, along with other sources of electromagnetic signals picked up as sound. The first radio telescope in use was back in 1937, a dish about 30-feet in diameter, with interest growing ever since and the first arrays being put in use in the 1950’s. Today, the largest is the 1894-foot diameter RATAN600 in Russia.

Sound From Space Sparks Science Fiction Imagination

With the ability to receive sound signals from space picked up on a radio telescope, the imagination of writers and amateur star gazers have fueled by beliefs that some of the sounds are being created by other life in space. Continual argument persists on the existence of life in space and signals not readily identified is used as questionable indications of extraterrestrial life.

A very large array of radio telescope dishes in New Mexico boasts 27 dish antenna, each with a diameter of about 82 feet. They work in tandem searching the skies for sounds, acknowledging that considering the speed of sound is much slower than the speed of light, any sound picked up could be from yesterday or hundred of years ago.

Under construction in Western Europe is a low frequency array radio telescope, which will consist of 25,000 smaller antenna designed to develop radio pictures of the sky based on the origins and current location of the sources of sounds picked up by the array. Clusters of antenna will be spread out over an area approximately 220 miles square. With the added power to pull in radio signals from space it is hoped a better map of this galaxy and adjacent galaxies can provide a better understanding of the space being lived in.

Questar Corporation has been setting its sights on quality optical products for over 50 years and has been delivering innovative new products for astrology, nature, science and surveillance. All products are still made in the Questar telescope Mt. Hope, Pennsylvania factory and utilize a selective force of retailer for distribution.

Constant improvement has been the aim for Questar telescope such as the seven inch Lightweight, made of titanium. Recent changes has dropped four pounds from the unit’s weight while still not incorporating plastic into the design. The barrel is decorated with the company’s star chart and the moon map is printed on the lens cap.

There are times with some telescopes when they may get hot, partially die to the glass, and some have mounted fans inside to help keep them cool. A Questar telescope has no internal fan, with the belief that cooled optics and heat dissipation can be achieved through the refinement of the internal components. The thought is that a fan may not be able to keep the dust from accumulating inside the Questar telescope.

Award Winning 3-1/2 inch Telescope

The 3-1/2 inch Questar telescope has won numerous awards for the company as well as for the United States during international competition, including groups using a Questar telescope during international birding events. With its three and a half inch diameter lens, the Standard 3-1/2 comes with its own carrying case and a company commitment for it to provide a lifetime of quality use.

Three magnification ranges for each eyepiece is made available through the Questar telescope control box located at the rear of the telescope. It provides two viewing options, one at the top and one on the side and incorporates for quick lever selection. Also is equipped with a lower magnification viewfinder to help locate your visible target before aiming the 1280 mm lens at the target.

Questar telescopes have also made trips into outer space with a picture of a 12 and half-foot long object from 1,000 miles appearing on the front page of the New York Times. The U.S. military counts of a Questar telescope in many of its activities and they are well known in the surveillance industry to provide exceptional images at distances up to 15 miles.

Due to the complexity of the inner workings of a Questar telescope, other than routine cleaning with recommended cleaning agents and the occasional need for anti-static brushing, self-maintenance is not recommended by the company. And disassembly of the optics may cause permanent damage.

With a telescope, anyone can enjoy the wonders of astronomy regardless of age, income or level of knowledge. Orion telescopes help turn ordinary people into avid astronomers and turn them on to the pleasures of amateur astronomy. The Orion telescopes are available in three fundamental designs each of which gather as well as focus light in different ways. The first of these types are refractor telescopes that use lenses and the second is the reflector telescopes that use mirrors. The third type is the Cassegrain telescope that is a mix of both mirror and lenses. The Orion Dobsonian telescope is a wonderful first telescope that would suit an amateur hobbyist astronomer because it is affordable as well as simple to use, and is a reflector telescope to boot. All that viewers need to do is to point and view, and this type of telescope is renowned for its incredible stability as well as balanced viewing that is so essential for the beginning astronomer.

Quality and Affordability

One need not give up hope of finding an affordable, quality telescope because the Orion telescopes are just that, and they make worthy telescopes that provide excellence in performance at affordable prices. One can easily view the bands of Jupiter and such affordable telescopes are easy to set up, and come with an EZ Finder II that is meant to considerably ease the process of locating those elusive lunar craters or nebulae, and doing so is a cinch. The Orion Optic’s Maksutov Cassegrains are rated as the best planetary as well as lunar telescopes. And, for those that wish to own a high performance Orion telescope, which produces the best of images, the Orion OD400 would make an ideal choice.

The outstanding feature of Orion telescopes are that they are specialized items, and most owners would readily testify that the Dobsonian models are simple to set up, and provide excellent results. The best selling Orion telescopes include the SpaceProbe 130mm EQ, AstroView 120ST EQ Refractor and Explorer 90mm Altazimuth Refractor, to name a few. It is common to find telescopes either being used to view stars or for terrestrial use, but products like the Explorer 90 are powerful performers that work equally well under blue skies and starry nights.

As its name implies, the AstroView is designed for viewers to reach far into the nebular clouds, star clusters as well as distant galaxies, and is also useful for astrophotography. As one may have observed, the Orion telescopes meet different user needs at affordable prices, and given their quality of viewing, are certainly the best choice in amateur astronomy as well as for more serious astronomical observations.

Many people have experienced the beauty of stargazing when the conditions are right, and most can pick out at least the Big Dipper in the sky. Some people take this hobby further and spend nights studying the stars and planets. But sometimes the naked eye just isn’t enough to easily view the details in the heavens, so they use an optical telescope to view what they can’t see normally. Once a neophyte astronomer is familiar with the layout of the sky, purchasing an optical telescope is the natural step to take. Optical telescopes range from those that fit in your hand to ones that require entire buildings to house. An overview of these devices will help to show that optical telescopes are more varied then one long, thin tube.

The Binocular

Since the purpose of an optical telescope is to reflect and magnify light for viewing images, this means binoculars are actually two telescopes set side by side. These compact devices are not the tripod-mounted tubes that most people associate when they talk about telescopes, but nevertheless are part of the same family. Binoculars are popular for sight-seeing, watching nature, and even by opera buffs, which use delicate little binoculars called opera glasses to better see the details on stage. But if you own a pair of these, then you have your first optical telescope. The big advantage to these is a wide field of vision, but the downside is that due to the natural shaking of a hand holding binoculars, magnification beyond several times what you could normally see is difficult.

The Home Telescope

Beyond binoculars there are the types of telescopes most people imagine when hearing the word, the long cylinders that are mounted on a stand for stability. The magnification power of these optical telescopes is much greater than that from even a pair of binoculars, though magnification power isn’t everything; telescopes in your average discount store might boldly claim large magnification power, but still be a cheap telescope. What’s more important is image quality is the size of the lens or mirror that helps to focus and magnify the light passing through the telescope. Before purchasing a telescope for home use, it’s recommended that a home astronomer be committed to their hobby and research their purchase, as a quality purchase will make all the difference.

The Big Guns: Research Telescopes

At the high end of the scale are the research telescopes, which are large enough to need entire buildings to be housed in, and are operated by dedicated astronomers to study the sky. These optical telescopes aren’t for personal use, but help us to learn more about the universe as a whole. The Hobby-Eberly, telescope, for example, has been used to find planets orbiting around other stars. But while it’s unlikely that the hobbyist will ever get close to one of these telescopes, they’re essentially used to do the same thing that an amateur astronomer does, which is to study the beauty of space from Earth. Whether lifting a pair of binoculars to the sky or operating a sophisticated piece of machinery, users of optical telescopes hold that love of the sky in common.

To access the Internet, we must first open up our Internet browser. Once the browser has been activated we can either select one of our favorite web sites or go to the address bar and type in the Internet address that we wish to access. Generally, when typing in the web site’s address we begin with the letters www. These initials stand for World Wide Web.

Now, however, by logging on to certain web sites, we can view and gain information through our computers that transcends the World Wide Web. Through our computers we can capture, view and study images that are obtained from far beyond the earth’s atmosphere. Specifically, through the internet, we have the opportunity of viewing worlds beyond our world by accessing an online telescope.

How It Works

The process involved in accessing an online telescope viewing opportunity requires coordinating of viewing times and dates. An individual, at the participating observatory, is normally assigned to coordinate the requests. Once the e-mail has been received and the time is scheduled, the coordinator, that is facilitating the use of the online telescope, will respond to the request.

The process is completed once the telescope records the images that were viewed based on the given request. Once the images are posted an e-mail, with the link, is sent to the individual who made the request. That individual can then just simply click on to the imbedded link and access the photos that reflect their specific request provided by the online telescope.

Two Viewing Methods

The individual making the request can ask that the online telescope be utilized a number of ways. In addition, the observatory may honor requests for different colored filters to be utilized when requested by the viewer.

One of the viewing methods includes the viewer requesting that certain specific coordinates be captured. These coordinates may correspond to the position of a specific star, system, etc. If the person making the request is asking for specific coordinates to be observed, they can accomplish this by accessing the available catalogs that can help provide these specific coordinates.

The other method simply provides an image by the online telescope of the general areas of space. The online user can simply request that the planet Mercury, Venus, Jupiter, etc, be viewed by the online telescope and that its image be captured. In addition, this method can simply request that general areas of deep space be observed.

The word “telescope” tends to conjure images of long, thin tubes most associated with stargazing by the amateur astronomer, but there are in fact many different types of telescopes. Things as simple as binoculars are in the same family as telescopes, as well as complex, sophisticated pieces of machinery, such as the famous Hubble Telescope. One type of telescope is the Newtonian telescope, which indeed has a long tube, but the width is often closer to that of a can of paint than anything skinny. Rather than look at one end of the tube, the design of the Newtonian telescope lends itself more to looking through an eyepiece in the side of the tube. The simple design and power of the Newtonian telescope makes it a great idea for the hobbyist astronomer.

Newton’s Invention

As the name implies, Sir Isaac Newton invented this particular telescope in order to study the skies, so this telescope’s design is one that has held up for hundreds of years. The main difference between a Newtonian telescope and a traditional telescope is that rather than using multiple lenses to focus light for viewing, a concave mirror at one end of the telescope concentrates and focuses the light to another mirror and viewed through the eyepiece. This sort of construction is quite simple, similar to the design of a periscope in how the reflections are handled.

There are some advantages and disadvantages to such a design. Newtonian telescopes tend to give great views of planets, and their design naturally lends itself to allowing a wider field of view than the generic telescope. Because the design is not based of using precisely ground lenses, the cost of a Newtonian telescope is much less than that of a traditional telescope and the light is not distorted at certain wavelengths, as it would be if passed through a lens. On the other hand, the curved mirror does create some distortion of the images seen, and the two mirror design does mean that the mirror used to reflect the light to the eyepiece is right in the middle of the main path of light, creating an obstruction right in the middle of the image.

Make Your Own Telescope!

One of the coolest things about the design of the Newtonian telescope is that amateur hobbyists can build their own. Of course, the mirrors have to be purchased, but the main tube can be created from a wide length of PVC pipe. With just a handful of materials, a home astronomer can create their own telescope, and the best part of that is this does not necessarily sacrifice quality, since the Newtonian telescope is an established, quality invention. But even if you chose to purchase rather than construct your own telescope, the Newtonian telescope often offers more viewing power for the price. Newton’s simple invention has stood the test of time and even after hundreds of years of technological development, this telescope is still a solid item to have for an avid sky gazer.

A telescope is a viewing instrument that utilizes the refraction or reflecting of light rays and allows for images to be brought closer. This capturing of light is accomplished through a component that is called the objective. The objective is that part of the telescope which, through the captured light, provides an image of the object that is being viewed. Typically, the objective is either composed of a set of lenses or a concave mirror.

Now, think about the possibilities of utilizing liquid to mirror reflections back to our vision. The concept of a liquid mirror would be similar to the experience of looking at your image in a pool of water. However, a liquid mirror telescope would be used to peer into the depths of space. At first glance the concept of a liquid mirror telescope seems like something that is a far-fetched and very futuristic.

However, the future is now as astronomers realize the potential of employing a liquid mirror telescope to take the place of a concave mirror that is typically found in a reflecting telescope.

History Of A Liquid Mirror Telescope

Isaac Newton in the 17th century was the first individual to go on record about the possibilities of a liquid mirror telescope. In his studies, he realized that when liquid is spun it forms a natural concave bowl-like shape. This spinning liquid would provide the same shape of the concave mirrors that are used in a reflective telescope.

Unfortunately, his idea was ahead of its time. The reason being is that the electric motor had not been invented. The electric motor would have been needed to provide the rotation required to give the liquid its concave form.

The first documented case of a liquid mirror telescope being used was in 1909. However, it wasn't until 1982 that a physicist by the name of Ermanno Borra modified the design to improve the performance of the liquid mirror telescope. One such telescope is located in British Columbia, Canada.

Structure Of A Liquid Mirror Telescope

Fortunately, today, all of the needed technology is available and has, in fact, brought the practical use of a liquid mirror telescope in to practice. Specifically, the liquid that is used is 30 liters of mercury. This mercury is poured into a concave dish that is built in segments. The dish itself is manufactured from a durable plastic coupled with polyester. The frame that holds the dish is a light metal. The Process

In order to form the shape required to optimally provide the reflection needed, the dish begins to spin. The spinning speed is about 7 revolutions per minute. This speed is maintained so that the proper distribution of the mercury occurs.

Advantages And Disadvantages

The only disadvantage that has been demonstrated in the use of a liquid mirror telescope is the need for the dish to remain parallel. This is obviously due to the fact that if tilted the liquid would flow gravitationally to the end that is tilted downwards.

The advantage is that the area of reflection is extremely large. This larger area provides a greater capacity to capture more light which adds to the visibility of the object being viewed. In turn, this larger area of reflection allows for greater distances in the galaxy to be observed.

Almost everyone can remember the day in school when they got to the science class and the teacher had the microscopes on the table. We all knew the fun that could be had looking at things up close and the things that we came up with to look at were almost infinite. Telescopes were also a favorite in the classroom, yet not quite as much as viewing the world of scabs, hair or whatever gross object that a middle school child could find to view up close and personal. Microscopes and telescopes have the interesting effect on pre-teens and the thought process that they can come up with to view with microscopes and telescopes is often times quite original. Microscopes and telescopes are quite similar in that they are both utilized to view objects up close. The utilization of microscopes and telescopes dates back to the early 17th century and the similarity in the use of convex and concave mirror and lenses to make them have not changed much in the last few centuries. While these similarities in materials have not ch anged the utilization of technology has increased the abilities of microscopes and telescopes.

Microscopes and telescopes have evolved into computer versions that allow the user to manipulate the scopes and view the images on a computer. The computerization of microscopes and telescopes allows the user to manipulate the imaging process as well as the search process.

Differences in Microscopes and Telescopes

Beyond the obvious viewing material, looking at organic material under a microscope or the stellar skies with a telescope the microscope and telescopes differ in the manner in which they produce images to the user and the various types of microscopes and telescopes produce varying results that enable the user to view various images. While microscopes provide the user with a view of material in an easier manner than the telescope user, since telescope use takes patience to find various objects in the sky.

While many of us have fond memories of our first microscopes and the dream of our very own laboratory and although many of us are older we can still pass that passion on to our own children or grandchildren by introducing them to microscopes and telescopes. So when looking back at your childhood and remembering the times with your microscope or telescope take the time to share those memories with youth in your life.