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The mirror in a telescope is a concave mirror. That shape redirects all the light coming from a distant object that hits the mirror into a focusing lens. The mirror may be as small as several inches or many feet in diameter and it concentrates the light so it can be focused by a small eyepiece that may be only a fraction of an inch in diameter. The mirror serves the same purpose as a large lens in a refractive telescope. It takes a large cross section of light and focuses it into the eyepiece of the telescope but it does it by reflection rather than refraction. The reflective mirror is preferred over a lens for several reasons. The light reflected by a good quality silvered mirror loses very little of its intensity. Light passing through a lens loses intensity each time it passes through a glass surface and it must pass through 2 surfaces of a lens. The mirror bends the light one time and a lens bends it twice. The more times you bend light, the more chance you have to introduce distortion because of imperfections of the surface. If the glass of a lens is not ultra pure and without imperfection, the light is further distorted. The quality of glass in a mirror does not affect the light because the light does not pass through the mirror because the light is reflected off the first surface. When very large telescopes are involved, a refraction lens would weigh many times what the reflective mirror weighs.

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Who discovered the reflective telescope?

The reflective telescope was invented by Isaac Newton in 1668. He designed a reflecting telescope with a curved mirror that resolved some of the issues associated with the refracting telescopes of the time.


Which structure is used to foucus light in a refelcting telescope?

A curved mirror is used to focus light in a reflecting telescope by reflecting and converging the light rays to a focal point. This mirror can have a concave shape to collect and concentrate light towards the eyepiece for observation.


Who built the first reflecting telescope in 1668?

Isaac Newton is credited with building the first practical reflecting telescope in 1668. This telescope used a curved mirror to gather and focus light, unlike traditional refracting telescopes which used lenses.


What telescope has an eyepiece lens and a mirror?

A reflecting telescope has both an eyepiece lens and a mirror. Light enters the telescope and is reflected off the primary mirror to a secondary mirror, which then directs the light to the eyepiece where it is magnified for viewing.


How did Isaac Newton improve the first refracting telescope?

Isaac Newton improved the first refracting telescope by designing a reflecting telescope, known as the Newtonian telescope. He replaced the eyepiece of the refracting telescope with a curved mirror to eliminate chromatic aberration, resulting in a sharper image with less distortion. This design laid the foundation for future advancements in telescope technology.

Related Questions

What is the job of the curved mirror on a telescope do?

I believe it is so it can collect more focus light to produce a clearer image.


What is a mirror that is curved?

A mirror that is curved outward is convex. A mirror that is curved inward is concave.


Who discovered the reflective telescope?

The reflective telescope was invented by Isaac Newton in 1668. He designed a reflecting telescope with a curved mirror that resolved some of the issues associated with the refracting telescopes of the time.


What is curved mirror?

It is a mirror whose reflecting surface is curved, not flat (as in a plane mirror).


Which structure is used to foucus light in a refelcting telescope?

A curved mirror is used to focus light in a reflecting telescope by reflecting and converging the light rays to a focal point. This mirror can have a concave shape to collect and concentrate light towards the eyepiece for observation.


Who built the first reflecting telescope in 1668?

Isaac Newton is credited with building the first practical reflecting telescope in 1668. This telescope used a curved mirror to gather and focus light, unlike traditional refracting telescopes which used lenses.


What is a multiple-mirror telescope?

Newtonian telescope


What telescope has an eyepiece lens and a mirror?

A reflecting telescope has both an eyepiece lens and a mirror. Light enters the telescope and is reflected off the primary mirror to a secondary mirror, which then directs the light to the eyepiece where it is magnified for viewing.


Is the reflecting surface of the mirror flat curved inward or curved outward?

The reflecting surface of a mirror is flat.


What are the parts of curve mirror?

what are the parts of the curved mirror


How did Isaac Newton improve the first refracting telescope?

Isaac Newton improved the first refracting telescope by designing a reflecting telescope, known as the Newtonian telescope. He replaced the eyepiece of the refracting telescope with a curved mirror to eliminate chromatic aberration, resulting in a sharper image with less distortion. This design laid the foundation for future advancements in telescope technology.


Which type of telescope uses a mirror to gather light?

A reflecting telescope.