Telescopes and Light

As a little child, you often might have looked at the nighttime sky and were amazed at the stars, moon, and maybe some of the other celestial bodies that you encountered. Truly, stars are a wonder to behold. There are billions of stars in our galaxy alone, which explains why the star-filled sky is so vast during nighttime.

This interest, common during childhood, has led many people into becoming astronomers, studying the stars and other heavenly bodies of the universe throughout their lives. It is their way of making a living, and perhaps more appropriately, it is their way of life. However, thanks to the availability of modern science and technology, anyone can be an amateur astronomer at home, and do some of the things that are commonly done by professional astronomers.

One of the easiest methods is stargazing, while using a powerful telescope in order to make the stars look bigger and “more alive”. A telescope is the name of an instrument that is designed to view distant objects. Even if the most powerful ones are in different observatories around the world, you can get a relatively powerful one in order to place it at your home and do your astronomy work from home.

How does a telescope do that? How does a telescope magnify a remote object in order to view it at a better position? How do telescopes increase the size of these remote objects and make them look better, even brightness wise?

This is because a telescope collects as much light as it can, hence the moniker “light bucket”, referring to the telescope. As it does that, it focuses the light in order to get a clearer picture. The greater the focus of the telescope, then the higher the resolution of the entire picture.

The telescope being referred to, as well as the most common one and the one that is most appropriate for home use is known as the optical telescope. Yes, this is the one that gathers and focuses light, as there are other types of telescopes, such as radio telescopes, x-ray telescopes, and gamma-ray telescopes. These other, less common types of telescopes are mainly used by scientists and professional astronomers who want different views of outer space and its heavenly bodies for deeper study.

Owning an optical telescope for home astronomy use isn't that difficult, as you can purchase a small one (small compared to the ones in observatories, which are really big, bulky, and extremely powerful) from several noted dealers and manufacturers.

In contrast, it’s very difficult to obtain a different type of telescope since they are mostly made for and sold to observatories and astronomy stations only, and not to regular people. However, optical telescopes are very useful for home use, particularly if home astronomy is a hobby.

Before purchasing one optical telescope, know that there are normally three types of optical telescopes – the refracting, reflecting, and catadioptric telescopes. Simply put, the refracting telescope uses lens, the reflecting telescope uses mirrors, and the catadioptric uses a combination of the two. There are various characteristics that are unique to each type, which means that it is important to ask the recommendation of the dealer or manufacturer before making a purchase.

Refracting telescopes were the first known kind of optical telescopes that were invented, followed by the idea of reflector telescopes, then the catadioptric ones. A common problem of refracting telescopes usually deals with large apertures, of which the reflecting kind is better suited for. If you prefer smaller apertures, then the refracting telescope might be the better option for you.

Telescopes and light go hand in hand. Optical telescopes are useless without light, for it is light that they actually measure. Without light, the optical telescopes won't be able to distinguish the different heavenly bodies you wish to see, including the stars. Light is the very thing that telescopes of this kind use in order to serve their purpose.

That said, home astronomy can be a wonderful thing, particularly with the use of modern telescopes, which have gone a very long way since they were first invented. These telescopes have improved so much, have corrected many errors, and are still in the process of improving further.

Make sure that if you are using a telescope indoors you have decent window blinds to prevent light pollution from street lighting. In Germany and other countries Plissee Rollos or  Markisen & Rollos offer an excellent solution to this issue.