A telescope is an instrument that aids in the observation of remote objects by

collectingelectromagnetic radiation (such as visible light). The first known practical telescopes were
invented in the Netherlands at the beginning of the 17th century, using glass lenses. They found use
in terrestrial applications and astronomy.
Within a few decades, the reflecting telescope was invented, which used mirrors. In the 20th century
many new types of telescopes were invented, including radio telescopes in the 1930s and infrared
telescopes in the 1960s. The word telescope now refers to a wide range of instruments detecting
different regions of the electromagnetic spectrum, and in some cases other types of detectors.
The word "telescope" (from the Greek , tele "far" and , skopein "to look or see";
, teleskopos "far-seeing") was coined in 1611 by the Greek mathematicianGiovanni
Demisiani for one of Galileo Galilei's instruments presented at a banquet at theAccademia dei
Lincei.
[1][2][3]
In the Starry Messenger, Galileo had used the term "perspicillum".
Contents
[hide]
1 History
2 Types
o 2.1 Optical telescopes
o 2.2 Radio telescopes
o 2.3 X-ray telescopes
o 2.4 Gamma-ray telescopes
o 2.5 High-energy particle telescopes
o 2.6 Other types of telescopes
3 Types of mount
4 Atmospheric electromagnetic opacity
5 Telescopic image from different telescope types
6 By spectrum
7 Lists of telescopes
8 See also
9 References
10 Further reading
11 External links
History[edit]
Main article: History of the telescope

Modern telescopes typically useCCDs instead of film for recording images. This is the sensor array in theKepler
spacecraft.
The earliest recorded working telescopes were the refracting telescopes that appeared in
the Netherlands in 1608. Their development is credited to three individuals: Hans
Lippershey and Zacharias Janssen, who were spectacle makers in Middelburg, and Jacob
Metius of Alkmaar.
[4]
Galileo heard about the Dutch telescope in June 1609, built his own within a
month,
[5]
and greatly improved upon the design in the following year.
The idea that the objective, or light-gathering element, could be a mirror instead of a lens was being
investigated soon after the invention of the refracting telescope.
[6]
The potential advantages of
using parabolic mirrorsreduction of spherical aberration and no chromatic aberrationled to many
proposed designs and several attempts to build reflecting telescopes.
[7]
In 1668, Isaac Newton built
the first practical reflecting telescope, of a design which now bears his name, the Newtonian
reflector.
The invention of the achromatic lens in 1733 partially corrected color aberrations present in the
simple lens and enabled the construction of shorter, more functional refracting telescopes. Reflecting
telescopes, though not limited by the color problems seen in refractors, were hampered by the use
of fast tarnishing speculum metal mirrors employed during the 18th and early 19th centurya
problem alleviated by the introduction of silver coated glass mirrors in 1857,
[8]
and aluminized mirrors
in 1932.
[9]
The maximum physical size limit for refracting telescopes is about 1 meter (40 inches),
dictating that the vast majority of large optical researching telescopes built since the turn of the 20th
century have been reflectors. The largest reflecting telescopes currently have objectives larger than
10 m (33 feet), and work is underway on several 30-40m designs.
The 20th century also saw the development of telescopes that worked in a wide range of
wavelengths from radio to gamma-rays. The first purpose built radio telescope went into operation in
1937. Since then, a tremendous variety of complex astronomical instruments have been developed.
Types[edit]

This section needs additional citations for verification. Please
help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced
material may be challenged and removed. (July 2008)
The name "telescope" covers a wide range of instruments. Most detect electromagnetic radiation,
but there are major differences in how astronomers must go about collecting light (electromagnetic
radiation) in different frequency bands.
Telescopes may be classified by the wavelengths of light they detect:
X-ray telescopes, using shorter wavelengths than ultraviolet light
Ultraviolet telescopes, using shorter wavelengths than visible light
Optical telescopes, using visible light
Infrared telescopes, using longer wavelengths than visible light
Submillimetre telescopes, using longer wavelengths than infrared light
Light Comparison
Name Wavelength Frequency (Hz) Photon Energy (eV)

Gamma ray less than 0.01 nm more than 10 EHZ 100 keV 300+ GeV X

X-Ray 0.01 to 10 nm 30 PHz 30 EHZ 120 eV to 120 keV X

Ultraviolet 10 nm 400 nm 30 EHZ 790 THz 3 eV to 124 eV

Visible 390 nm 750 nm 790 THz 405 THz 1.7 eV 3.3 eV X

Infrared 750 nm 1 mm 405 THz 300 GHz 1.24 meV 1.7 eV X

Microwave 1 mm 1 meter 300 GHz 300 MHz 1.24 meV 1.24 eV

Radio 1 mm km 300 GHz 3 Hz 1.24 meV 12.4 feV X

As wavelengths become longer, it becomes easier to use antenna technology to interact with
electromagnetic radiation (although it is possible to make very tiny antenna). The near-infrared can
be handled much like visible light, however in the far-infrared and submillimetre range, telescopes
can operate more like a radio telescope. For example the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope observes
from wavelengths from 3 m (0.003 mm) to 2000 m (2 mm), but uses a parabolic aluminum
antenna.
[10]
On the other hand, the Spitzer Space Telescope, observing from about 3 m (0.003 mm)
to 180 m (0.18 mm) uses a mirror (reflecting optics). Also using reflecting optics, the Hubble Space
Telescope with Wide Field Camera 3 can observe from about 0.2 m (0.0002 mm) to 1.7 m
(0.0017 mm) (from ultra-violet to infrared light).
[11]

Fresnel Imager, an optical lens technology
X-ray optics, optics for certain X-ray wavelengths
Another threshold in telescope design, as photon energy increases (shorter wavelengths and higher
frequency) is the use of fully reflecting optics rather than glancing-incident optics. Telescopes such
as TRACE and SOHO use special mirrors to reflect Extreme ultraviolet, producing higher resolution
and brighter images then otherwise possible. A larger aperture does not just mean more light is
collected, it is collected at a higher diffraction limit.
Telescopes may also be classified by location: ground telescope, space telescope, or flying
telescope. They may also be classified by whether they are operated by professional
astronomers or amateur astronomers. A vehicle or permanent campus containing one or more
telescopes or other instruments is called an observatory.