Telecopes
The invention of the telescope transformed the study of celestial objects. The purpose of telescopes is to collect light to make far away objects look closer than you’d normally see with the naked eye. Scientist suggests that the first telescope was made in 1608, but the inventor varied, but most sources suggest that Hans Lippershey, a Dutch maker of spectacles was the creator.Back in those times telescopes were called ‘spyglasses’, and had immediate uses in maritime and warfare operations. Galileo Galilei was the first to use a telescope, from 1609 onwards to make astronomical observations. With his telescope, Galileo was able to see details of the lunar landscape.
Types of Telescopes
There are two main types of Optical Telescopes; Refracting and Reflecting. The refracting telescope was invented by the Dutch optician, Hans Lippershey, he designed the convex lens for the first refracting telescope in 1608. He found that a distant object appeared to be much closer when he looked at it through a concave lens and a convex lens held in front of each other. He put the lenses into a tube to make the first refracting telescope. This telescope is built on one amazing rule, when light passes through glass , it slows down and bends.
The reflecting telescope was invented by a Scottish astronomer, James Gregory who came up with the design for the reflecting telescope in 1663. Isaac Newton made the first model of the reflecting telescope in 1688. After Newton built the model, scientists discovered that better images are seen through the reflecting telescope instead of the refracting telescope because mirrors could make clearer images since the mirrors could be made much larger than the lenses.
How do they Work?
A refracting telescope works just like a magnifying glass. It uses a convex glass lens to bend the light and bring it into focus. This lens is thicker in the centre than it is toward its edges, which bends the light more at the edge of the lens than light coming through the centre. This allows all of the light to come together at a focus point. Although there are some disadvantages to this type of telescope, it has two main problems, firstly, images are not always clear because the light is being bent and secondly the size of the lens is limited which limits the power of the telescope.
A reflecting telescopes use curved mirrors instead of convex lenses to collect and focus light. A large concave mirror is put at the centre; this collects and reflects the light to make an image. Once the image forms, the lens in the eyepiece magnifies the image. Reflecting telescopes are very helpful for viewing dim or dark objects. There are no real disadvantages involving a reflecting telescope. Reflecting telescopes are used more today than the refracting because the mirrors in a reflecting telescope can be made much larger, to make a much larger image, compared to a refracting where one is limited by the size of lens.
Types of Telescopes
There are two main types of Optical Telescopes; Refracting and Reflecting. The refracting telescope was invented by the Dutch optician, Hans Lippershey, he designed the convex lens for the first refracting telescope in 1608. He found that a distant object appeared to be much closer when he looked at it through a concave lens and a convex lens held in front of each other. He put the lenses into a tube to make the first refracting telescope. This telescope is built on one amazing rule, when light passes through glass , it slows down and bends.
The reflecting telescope was invented by a Scottish astronomer, James Gregory who came up with the design for the reflecting telescope in 1663. Isaac Newton made the first model of the reflecting telescope in 1688. After Newton built the model, scientists discovered that better images are seen through the reflecting telescope instead of the refracting telescope because mirrors could make clearer images since the mirrors could be made much larger than the lenses.
How do they Work?
A refracting telescope works just like a magnifying glass. It uses a convex glass lens to bend the light and bring it into focus. This lens is thicker in the centre than it is toward its edges, which bends the light more at the edge of the lens than light coming through the centre. This allows all of the light to come together at a focus point. Although there are some disadvantages to this type of telescope, it has two main problems, firstly, images are not always clear because the light is being bent and secondly the size of the lens is limited which limits the power of the telescope.
A reflecting telescopes use curved mirrors instead of convex lenses to collect and focus light. A large concave mirror is put at the centre; this collects and reflects the light to make an image. Once the image forms, the lens in the eyepiece magnifies the image. Reflecting telescopes are very helpful for viewing dim or dark objects. There are no real disadvantages involving a reflecting telescope. Reflecting telescopes are used more today than the refracting because the mirrors in a reflecting telescope can be made much larger, to make a much larger image, compared to a refracting where one is limited by the size of lens.
Other Telescopes
There are not just Optical telescopes there are also; Radio Infra-red, Ultraviolet, X-ray’s and Gamma ray telescopes to pick up all of the different types of light that form the electromagnetic spectrum. All of these telescopes were made to better improve our knowledge of what is out there in the unknown universe.