Different Types of
Astronomical Telescopes
There are many different types of telescopes, all of which specialise in a certain area of observation, for example a particular wavelength range.
Although even some of my own pages describe some more "unconventional" designs (such as e.g. refractors or synthesis telescopes), here, to keep things simple, I want to concentrate on the properties of single reflecting (mirror) telescopes.
The following characteristics of astronomical telescopes are described on separate pages:
Note that many of these pages are cross-linked so that one can jump to and fro between the different topics. Under each topic heading only the most important examples are described; more complete accounts can be found elsewhere.