Most beginners who deal with an astronomical telescope believe that its purpose is to magnify objects and create their bigger appearance. But unfortunately, this is wrong. So, what is the primary purpose of an astronomical telescope?
The astronomical telescope’s purpose is to collect more light. The telescopes collect more light to make astronomical objects like planets, stars, and galaxies easier to see visually. Also, the telescopes create a sharper and brighter image by collecting more light.
So in today’s guide, we will tell you the purpose of the astronomical telescope in detail. Thus, get going into the main article.
Table of Contents
What Is The Primary Purpose Of An Astronomical Telescope?
The simple answer is the purpose of an astronomical telescope is to collect light. Yes! The telescope’s job is all that. The main use of an astronomer’s telescope for observing galaxies and collecting light. Telescopes collect more light and make astronomical objects like galaxies and stars sharper, brighter, and easier to visualize.
Telescopes from distant objects collect light using a curved mirror or lens. And then, at the focal point, it focuses the collected light on an image. The telescope’s objective lens forms the focused image. And the objective lens is magnified by an eyepiece that is a smaller second lens.
To see the objective’s bright, magnified image look into the eyepiece. But an eyepiece that is used with a small mirror or lens magnifies a fuzzy image and dims. Magnification is helpful, but it doesn’t have any effect in helping you to see the telescope’s details.
The objective mirror or lens collects the image’s brightness and details that come down to the light. And the amount of light depends on its objective diameter, called the aperture. Compared to a smaller objective, the big objective collects more light.
A similar example of this is that compared to the small bucket, the large bucket collects more raindrops.
Example of The Difference Between Smaller & Larger Objective
Let’s consider an example so that you better understand the purpose of an astronomical telescope. Let’s use two telescopes to look at Jupiter. The two telescope’s main lenses should be 4″ in diameter. Another main lens should be 2″ in diameter. And for each telescope, pick the eyepieces to give a 100 times magnification.
The purpose of giving 100 times magnification is that each image will appear in equal size. Now with a 2″ aperture telescope, the largest cloud belts of Jupiter will be observable clearly. But in the 2″ aperture telescope, the cloud belts can be a little fuzzy and dim.
However, in the telescope with a 4″ aperture, the same cloud belts will be visible with more color and structure. In the 4″ telescope, you will see the smaller cloud belts that are invisible through the smaller instrument. The advantage of the larger telescope is that it makes it possible to collect more light.
As a result, it enables you to see more details with the same magnification compared to the smaller telescope. So the final verdict is that the telescope gives a better view that collects more light. It implies that you can easily choose a telescope now, right? The answer is yes.
If you carefully read this guide, you will surely be able to choose the correct astronomical telescope. Simply select the telescope with the biggest objective mirror or lens that you can afford. But it has a problem if you select the telescope with the biggest objective’s mirrors or lenses.
A bigger aperture Telescope means it will be heavier and more expensive. So in some cases using the smaller telescope is convenient if you have budget issues. So while choosing the telescope for you, you must consider all these factors along with its size.
Magnify Distant Objects in Space
So another purpose of the astronomical telescope is to magnify distant objects in space. This practice has been continued for centuries.
Today’s available telescope has 60 times magnifying abilities compared to the last time. So another purpose of a telescope is to magnify distant objects and make them appear bigger.
FAQ
Which Are Two Main Points Important for an Astronomical Telescope?
An astronomical telescope’s two main considerations are its power to gather light and resolve power. However, the telescope’s light-gathering power varies depending on the objective’s area.
Which Is the Most Important Feature of An Astronomical Telescope?
The astronomical telescope’s most crucial feature is its aperture. Its light-gathering mirror, or Len’s diameter, is called the objective. To know the telescope’s specifications, look near its focuser, on the box, or at the tube’s front.
What Are The Three Major Functions of a Telescope?
Telescope’s three major functions are to gather as much light as possible from any object, to magnify the image, and to focus the light.
Final Thoughts
Hopefully, this guide has been helpful to you. Now you know, “what is the primary purpose of an astronomical telescope?” The purpose of an astronomical telescope is to collect light. The telescope that collects more light creates a better image and ensures a more enjoyable observing experience.
Throughout this article, we have already explained the purpose of the astronomical telescope in detail. You can comment in the comment section if you have anything to know. Soon we will reply to you.
