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The following are lists of devices categorized as types of telescopes or devices associated with telescopes. They are broken into major classifications with many variations due to professional, amateur, and commercial sub-types. Telescopes can be classified by optical design or mechanical design/construction. Telescopes can also be classified by where they are placed, such as space telescopes. One major determining factor is type of light, or particle being observed including devices referred to as "telescopes" that do not form an image or use optics. Some telescopes are classified by the task they perform; for example Solar telescopes are all designs that look at the Sun, Dobsonian telescopes are designed to be low cost and portable, Aerial telescopes overcame the optical shortcomings of 17th-century objective lenses, etc.

List of optical telescope types

Optical telescopes can be classified by three primary optical designs (refractor, reflector, or catadioptric), by sub-designs of these types, by how they are constructed, or by the task they perform. They all have their different advantages and disadvantages and they are used in different areas of professional and amateur astronomy.

Refracting telescopes (Dioptrics)
  • Achromatic telescope
    • dialytic refractor
  • Apochromatic
  • Binoculars
    • Opera glasses
  • Copyscope
  • Galileoscope
  • Monocular
  • Non-achromatic
    • Galilean telescope
    • Keplerian Telescope
      • Aerial telescope
  • Superachromat
  • Varifocal gas-lens telescope
  • Baden-Powell's unilens
Reflecting telescopes (Catoptrics)
  • Cassegrain telescope
    • Dall–Kirkham telescope
    • Nasmyth telescope
    • Ritchey–Chrétien telescope
  • Crossed Dragone
  • Gregorian telescope
  • Herrig telescope
  • Herschelian telescope
  • Large liquid mirror telescope
  • Newtonian telescope
    • Dobsonian telescope
  • Pfund telescope
  • Schiefspiegler telescope
  • Stevick–Paul telescope
  • Three-mirror anastigmat
  • Toroidal reflector / Yolo telescope
  • Wolter telescope
Catadioptric telescopes (Catadioptrics)
  • Argunov–Cassegrain telescope
  • Catadioptric dialytes
  • Klevtsov–Cassegrain telescope
  • Lurie–Houghton telescope
  • Maksutov telescope
    • Maksutov camera
    • Maksutov–Cassegrain telescope
      • Gregory (Spot) Maksutov-Cassegrain telescope
      • Rutten Maksutov-Cassegrain telescope
      • Sub-aperture corrector Maksutov-Cassegrain telescope
    • Maksutov Newtonian telescope
  • Modified Dall–Kirkham telescope
  • Schmidt camera
    • Baker-Nunn camera
    • Baker-Schmidt camera
    • Lensless Schmidt telescope
    • Mersenne-Schmidt camera
    • Schmidt–Cassegrain telescope
      • ACF Schmidt–Cassegrain telescope (Meade Instruments)
    • Schmidt–Newton telescope
    • Schmidt-Väisälä camera
Telescopes classified by the task performed
  • Astrograph
  • Astronomical optical interferometry
  • Comet seeker
  • Finderscope
  • GoTo telescopes
  • Graphic telescope
  • Infrared telescope
  • Meridian circle
  • Robotic telescope
  • Solar telescope
  • Space telescope
  • Spotting scope
  • Sun Gun Telescope
  • Zenith telescope

Telescopes classified by the task performed

Astrograph
Astronomical optical interferometry
Comet seeker
Finderscope
GoTo telescopes
Graphic telescope
Infrared telescope
Meridian circle
Robotic telescope
Solar telescope
Space telescope
Spotting scope
Sun Gun Telescope
Zenith telescope

List of telescope types working outside the optical spectrum
See also: Electromagnetic spectrum

Atmospheric Cherenkov telescope used to detect gamma rays
Infrared telescope
Radio telescope
Submillimeter telescope
Ultraviolet telescope (see also Ultraviolet astronomy)
X-ray telescope (see also X-ray astronomy)
Wolter telescope

List of broad spectrum telescopes

Fast Fourier Transform Telescope

List of telescope mounts types

Optical and other types of telescopes are mounted on different types of mounts.

See also

Astronomy portal Solar System portal Spaceflight portal

Lists of telescopes

Misc

History of the telescope

Physics Encyclopedia

World

Index

Hellenica World - Scientific Library

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