Telescopes are important tools that provide information about space.  There are two main types of telescopes that are used by people everyday. They are the reflector telescope and the refractor telescope.

The reflector telescope has a mirror to collect the light. The light comes into the tube of the telescope and reflects off the mirror in the bottom of the tube. The eyepiece, that fits on the top of the telescope, receives the reflected light and lets you see the image.

The refractor telescope has a glass lens to collect the light. It works the same way as the reflector telescope does except it has a glass lens instead of a mirror, and the eyepiece is located in a different area.

Both of these telescopes use something called a finder scope. A finder scope is a very small mini telescope placed on top of either the reflector telescope or the refractor telescope. The finder scope helps you line up the main telescope.

The power of a telescope is determined by the size of the mirror or lens it uses. The bigger the mirror or lens, the more light can be collected by the telescope and the image will be easier to see. The size of a telescope determines how you look through it and hold it. Very small ones can be hand held. Most telescopes need a mount or stand. This way you can move the telescope up and down or side to side.

Astronomers use other types of telescopes for finding out about our universe. One type of these telescopes is the optical telescope. The optical telescope uses light to magnify objects. Astronomers use these telescopes to look deep into space. Many of the optical telescopes are built on high mountains and hills, so that they are above the Earth’s foggy, polluted atmosphere.

Another kind of telescope astronomers use is the radio telescope. Radio telescopes use very big antennas or dishes that collect the faint signals given out by objects in space. They enable astronomers to detect things that are too dark to see. The radio waves are changed into electric signals that can be used to make radio images or pictures. However, since the radio waves have a larger wavelength than that of light waves, a radio telescope has to be bigger than an optical one to collect the same amount of information. The largest single radio dish telescope in the world is at Arecibo, Puerto Rico. It is 1000 feet (305 m) across and is built into a natural hollow in the jungle.

Inventors and adapters of the telescope include Hans Lippershey, Galileo Galilei, Isaac Newton, Groter Reber, and Edwin Hubble, just to name a few.

Astronomers are tuning up for a new pair of telescopes named the Gemini Twins. These telescopes are so advanced they are already matching or outperforming the Hubble Space Telescope. One Gemini Twin is a twenty-six foot telescope already being tested on a mountain in Mauna Kea, Hawaii. The other is being built in the Chilean Andes. This telescope soon could be taking pictures of giant planets revolving around nearby stars. In the first tests of the Gemini North in Hawaii, astronomers have photographed Pluto, the farthest planet and its moon, Charon. These have never been seen from Earth as two objects. The telescopes are a partnership of seven nations. If you would like to find out more information about the Gemini Twin telescopes go to http://www.gemini.edu/public/.

The telescope is an astronomer’s friend and constant companion. It is a great tool to use to help us to find out more about space and the universe.

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