Refractor vs. Reflector Telescopes

Difference Between Refractor and Reflector Telescopes The reflector and refractor middle are basically both main types of telescope…

Difference Between Refractor and Reflector Telescopes

The reflector and refractor middle are basically both main types of telescope especially used in astronomy. They are also known as the telescope of refraction telescope. These are devices especially optic, which use visible light to produce pictures of distant objects, as planets, stars, nebulas and galaxies. In this article, we are going to discuss origin and fundamental operation of reflector and refractor and their difference.

Refractor Telescope

Refractor was the first kind of telescope to be made. It was first fabricated by Hans Lippershey, a German-Dutch producer of lens which it as a toy. Although it is not very obvious exactly when it invented it, it appears as a scientific device on 1608. The first astronomic telescope was constructed in 1608 by non-other than big scientist Galileo Galilei.

Refractor telescope uses lenses in its design. The process of magnification is based on the principal of refraction, which is nothing but the process of change in the direction of a light while passing through the interface of two mass media. In the telescope, both mass media are air and glass. Two convex lenses are made use of in case of a telescope, the focal length of one of which is very big focal length and is called the objective lens ( the one who is closer ‘ in the object ‘) and while that of the other lens is very small and it is known as the ocular(that is to say the one more near to  ‘  eye ‘). These two lenses are setup in  such manner as their optic axes coincide. Fact to concentrate in a distant object is made by varying distance between these two lenses. The main problems implicating refractor telescopes are the difficulty in constructing big lenses and a chromatic aberration.

Reflector Telescope

Although, the idea of using mirrors instead of lenses follows back at the time of very Galileo, the reflection of telescope was first scientifically by James Gregory in 1663. But his model was not constructed until 1673. Later it had to be known as the Gregorian telescope. The first reflector telescope came into existence in 1668 due to the work of the genius Isaac Newton and is referred to as the Newtonian telescope. It is the most renowned type of telescope among the amateur and the most part of the professional astronomers. The last designs, more advanced as Cassegrain, Elbow and Nasmyth came out.

The reflector telescopes use actually nothing but a combination of lenses and mirrors. The function of Mirrors is to reflect light. Reflection is the ‘ bounce back’ the effect of light. In general design, a concave mirror is used as the objective mirror; another mirror which is plane is used to aim the clear connecting rod from the mirror primary (objective) mirror. The used ocular is especially a convex lens. The model of Newtonian uses a big convex mirror in the bottom part of the apparatus. Plane mirror which is very small as compared to the convex mirror is put in the upper portion of the apparatus with 45 degrees in the optic axle of the primary mirror. The main problem implicating reflector  telescopes is the spherical aberration, which is caused by the focal length not being the same for broader parties of the mirror. Parabolic mirrors can be made use of in place of spherical mirrors to correct the aberration.

Where do the differences between reflector and refractor telescopes lie?

Fundamental similarities between this two are that, they are both using as astronomic devices; as long designs use a lens as the eyepiece, & calculations as Magnification, the F – Number and Resolution are even for both models.

Main difference is the uses of reflector a uses mirror as the primary optical device, while refractor uses a convex lens.

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