CERTIFICATE

This is to certify that Anurag Bhardwaj, Student of XII B

at S.M.P.K.D Shikshan Sansthan Asfabad Firozabad ,
has done this Project work under my supervision. As per
Knowledge he/she has done this project work with the
sincerity. This project work with the sincerity. This project
work is the result of his/her hard work. Any part of this
project is not copied from anywhere else for this fulfillment
of any.

I really appreciate his/her hard work and wish his/her all

the best for the future ahead.
Project Guide
Mr. Krishna kant Garg
H.O.D PHYSICS
S.M.P.K.D Shikshan
Sansthan Firozabad
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I would like to my teacher Mr. Krishna
kant Garg for their able guidance and
support in complete my project.

I would also like to my other faculty for

supporting making this project.

Name: Anurag Bhardwaj

Class: XII B
 CONTENTS
1. Certificate
2. Acknowledgement
3. Abstract
4. INTRODUCTION
5. REFLECTING TYPE TELESCOPE
6. List of Some Popular Reflecting
telescope
7. Parts and Components of Reflecting
Telescope
8. Design of Reflecting Telescope
9. Types of Reflecting telescope
10. Advantages of Reflecting Telescope
11. Disadvantages of Reflecting Telescope
12. Difference between Refracting and
Reflecting Telescope
 INTRODUCTION
Reflecting telescope, also called a reflector, is a
telescope that uses a combination of curved
mirrors that reflect light and form an image of a
distant object. In astronomy, it is used to
examine the visible region of the
electromagnetic spectrum as well as the
shorter (ultraviolet) and longer (infrared)
wavelength regions adjacent to it. Reflecting
telescope is so-called because the primary
mirror reflects the light to a focus instead of
refracting it. The primary mirror usually has a
concave spherical or parabolic shape and
inverts the image at the focal plane. A
secondary curved mirror, in combination with
an eyepiece, is used to observe the image.
The history of the reflecting telescope goes
back to 1668 when the famous British physicist
and mathematician Sir Isaac Newton invented it
as a replacement for refracting telescope. It was
later named as the Newtonian telescope, which
was constructed from a concave primary mirror
and a flat diagonal secondary mirror.
List of Some Popular
Reflecting telescope
Some notable reflecting telescopes across the
world and in space are
•Hale Telescope at Palomar Observatory
•Keck 1 and Keck 2 at W.M. Keck Observatory
•Large Binocular Telescope at Mount Graham
International Observatory
•Gran Telescopio Canarias at Roque de Los
Muchachos Observatory
•Giant Magellan Telescope at Las Campanas
Observatory
•Hubble Space Telescope
 Parts and Components of
Reflecting Telescope
Tube assembly: The large part of a
telescope in the shape of a long
cylindrical tube that holds the primary
mirror, secondary mirror, eyepiece, and
holder.
Mount assembly: The assembly that
supports and moves the telescope tube.
Eyepiece assembly: It is a knob used for
focusing the image and a sleeve for
inserting eyepieces of different sizes.
Counterweight: A block of heavyweight
that can be slid up and down on a metallic
bar to balance out the telescope and
make it very easy to maneuver.
Motor: It is used to turn the telescope to
point it at an object and automatically
follow the object across the sky.
 Design of Reflecting
Telescope
Reflecting telescopes uses two mirrors,
called the primary and secondary mirror, as
well as a glass lens (eyepiece) in their lens
system. Light rays gather through the
aperture and travel to the back of the
telescope where the primary mirror is
located. The primary mirror is shaped
parabolically so that all incoming parallel rays
will reflect off the mirror at their specific
angles and hit the surface of the secondary
mirror. Another reflection will occur, and all
the rays will converge to a single point called
the focal point. Light rays continue to travel
and refract at the eyepiece lens and form an
image that is magnified according to the
user’s observation. However, this image is
inverted to the original image.
 Types of Reflecting
telescope
The three main kinds of reflecting telescope
are
1. Newtonian Telescope: In this kind of
reflecting telescope, a plano-concave
primary mirror deflects the incoming
light to a diagonal secondary mirror. The
light is then reflected towards the side of
the telescope, where the eyepiece is
located. This design is usually used in
smaller telescopes.
2. Cassegrain Telescopes: In this kind of
reflecting telescope, the primary mirror is
still plano-concave, but the secondary
mirror is plano-convex. It reflects light
through a hole in the primary mirror’s
center. The reflected light is then
collected by the eyepiece located behind
this hole. More astronomical reflecting
telescopes use this design, often called
Cassegrain focus.
 Schmidt-Cassegrain telescopes: It is a variation of the
Cassegrain telescope and used in many high-end telescopes.
The reflecting telescope is designed in such a way that it has
a thin correcting lens (Schmidt corrector plate) at the front
of the telescope tube in order to improve the image.

Advantages of Reflecting
Telescope
•Absence of chromatic aberration in mirrors because
wavelength does not affect reflection
•The primary mirror is more comfortable to mount since the
back of the mirror can be used to attach to the mount
•Because of reflection rather than refraction, only one side of
the mirror must be perfect
•Cost-effective and cheaper to make than refracting telescope
of the same size

Disadvantages of
Reflecting Telescope
Optical misalignment can occur quite easily
Mirrors and other optical components have to be
frequently cleaned as they are exposed to air
Air currents inside the telescope will cause images to be
fuzzy if the optics are not kept at the same temperature
as that of the ambient air
Secondary mirror redirects the light into a more
convenient viewing spot but can lead
to diffraction effects (“Christmas star effect”)
 Difference between
Refracting and
Reflecting Telescope