Reflecting Telescopes

One of the first reflecting telescopes was developed by Sir Isaac Newton in 1680. Sir Newton was looking for a better way to view the heavans...

While there were refracting telescopes available, they had their difficulties. Refracted light splits into its various wavelengths or colors producing a rainbow effect when going through the tube of a refracting telescope at that time. This was a real problem as all the images were surrounded by a rainbow of color.

Isaac Newton concluded that it was impossible to refract light without this occurring. The mathematical genuis's "newtonian reflecting telescope" was followed up by John Hadley who in 1722, developed a telescope that used parabolic mirrors.

The reflecting telescope uses a curved mirror instead of a lens to focus the light and having a wider field of view than refracting telescopes as well as greater focal ratios and magnification. This means they are excellent for viewing distant nebulae and galaxies as well as nearby star clusters and comets.

They are fairly easy and cheap to make a simple reflecting telescope at home. It is essential that the mirrors are squeaky clean and in a perfect line to get a decent picture. If a mirror is ground wrong, it will distort the image. These scopes have huge light focusing ability and you will be able to get fantastic views of distant objects and take pictures of what you can see.

News About Reflecting Telescopes

Geek Speak: Raminder Singh Samra, resident astronomer at HR MacMillan Space Centre
Straight.com
Located in Vanier Park, the astronomy museum includes the Gordon MacMillan Southam Observatory, which features a 50-centimetre reflecting telescope. ...

Retiring telescope nurtured a generation of researchers
London Free Press
The 16-tonne, 1.2-metre Bollens and Chivens reflecting telescope at the University of Western Ontario's Elginfield astronomical observatory is that kind of ...

Roanoke Times

A peek into the heavens
Roanoke Times
John Hodges, 17, from Amelia, and Erica Basinger, 17, from Cumberland, look at Saturn recently through a 6-inch reflecting telescope. ...

Astro Bob blog: Sun kicks out the jams
Duluth News Tribune
For Jupiter that time is currently between 2 and 6 am Over the past two weeks I've observed the planet three times in my 15-inch reflecting telescope and I ...

and more »

Telegraph.co.uk

Commander Henry Hatfield
Telegraph.co.uk
A keen astronomer, he built first a 6" and then a 12" reflecting telescope by hand, making the tracking motors and observatory structure himself, ...