Some Terms You Should Know: Telescopes
These are some terms you will come across in your lab class dealing with
telescopes.
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Eyepiece
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In a telescope, the last lens before the viewer's eye.
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Inverted Image
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An image that is flipped upside down.
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Magnification
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A ratio of the size of an image to the size of the original object.
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Objective Lens or Objective Mirror
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In a telescope, the lens or mirror closest to the object being viewed.
This is the main optical piece of the telescope.
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Reflector (or Reflecting Telescope)
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A telescope that uses an objective mirror to gather in light and form an
image.
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Refraction
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The bending of light rays, often done using a lens.
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Refractor (or Refracting Telescope)
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A telescope that uses an objective lens to gather in light and form an
image.
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Resolving Power
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The ability of a telescope to resolve small detail in an image. This is
dependent on the diameter of the objective lens or mirror.
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Reverted Image
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An image that is flipped left-to-right.
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This page was last updated on 2 March 1998
and is © 1998 by Jim McDonald.