The main difference between a reflecting and a refracting telescope lies in how they gather and focus light.
- Refracting Telescope:
- Uses lenses to focus light.
- Light enters the telescope through a large objective lens, which bends (refracts) the light to focus it at a point.
- The eyepiece lens then magnifies the image formed by the objective lens.
- Pros: Simple design and less maintenance.
- Cons: Lenses can suffer from chromatic aberration (color distortion) and are difficult to manufacture large without imperfections. The long tube design can also be cumbersome.
- Reflecting Telescope:
- Uses mirrors to gather and focus light.
- Light is reflected off a large concave mirror to a focal point. A secondary mirror may direct the light to an eyepiece or camera.
- Pros: Mirrors don’t suffer from chromatic aberration and can be made larger and with fewer distortions. The design can be more compact.
- Cons: Requires more maintenance since mirrors need to be realigned (collimated) regularly.