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Telescopes, Principle of operation and factors that affect its
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Author: David Chandler
Topic: Science
Viewed: 56 time(s)
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Telescopes are devices that are used to view the distant
objects. They find its use in astronomy and physics. It enables
you to view the distant objects by magnifying them. There are
many types of telescopes and their prices vary according to the
specifications. Many accessories are also available that can be
used in conjunction with the telescopes. Small telescopes that
are used as toys are also capable of viewing some objects around
50 meters away. Principle in which the telescope works The
principle in which the telescope works is very simple. There are
two lenses that make up the task of viewing the objects that are
at a distance. One of the lenses picks up the light from the
object viewed and makes it available at a focus point. Another
lens picks up the bright light from the focus point and spreads
it out to your retina so that you can view. The lens that picks
up the light from the object is called the objective lens or
primary mirror. The lens that picks up the light from the focal
point is called the eyepiece lens. Factors that affect the
viewing of the object The capability of the telescope to collect
the light from the object that is viewed and the capability to
enlarge the image are the factors that affect the efficiency of
the telescope. The capability to collect light from the object
depends on the diameter of the lens or mirror, which is
otherwise called the aperture. The larger the aperture the more
the light it can collect. Enlarging of an image depends on the
combination of the lenses that are used. The eyepiece in the
telescope performs the magnification. Some of the world's
largest optical telescopes in operation We say a telescope to be
larger based on the aperture size. Based on this we can say that
Keck and Keck II are the largest telescopes in operation with an
aperture of 10 meters diameter. The Keck telescope is composed
of 36 mirror segments. This is located at Mauna Kea, Hawaii. The
next largest is Hobby-Eberly located at Mt. Fowlkes, Texas which
has an aperture of 9.2 meters. You can get a list of the largest
optical telescopes at http://astro.nineplanets.org/bigeyes.html.
Choosing your telescope The choice of the telescope largely
depends on what you want to observe. You can choose compound
telescopes and refractor type of telescope for viewing through
the urban skies. For the rural skies, you can use compound
telescopes and reflectors. They are better than the refractors
type of telescopes. Each type has its own advantages and
disadvantages. Hence, many people have different telescope for
different purposes. For more information visit
http://www.TelescopeInfoCenter.com
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