Discover The Different Telescope Parts

For centuries people have marveled at the constellations in the night sky. What wondrous things could be out there in the vast reaches of space? Well that question had no answer until one ingenious piece of technology was invented. That's right - the telescope! It has the capacity to view objects from long distances away, at different magnifications and brightnesses. So how does a telescope work? And what are the different parts of a telescope?

Telescope Parts

The are many different parts that make up the telescope and they are in some way slightly similar to the makeup of binoculars.

The first part of a telescope is the optical tube assembly (OTA). The OTA is in fact the main tube assembly which is made up of several different parts. In refractors (lens-based telescopes) the front of the OTA houses the objective, the front lens of the telescope. In reflectors (mirror-based telscopes), the front of the OTA houses the secondary mirror (which reflects the image down to the eyepiece).

The back of the OTA holds the secondary lens (for refractors) or the primary mirror (for reflectors) as well as the components that the focuser and eyepiece.

The eyepiece is the section that a person looks through and depending on the type of telescope, some may have extra individual lenses located inside.

The next part of a telescope is the focuser which enables the viewer to change his or her focus to help create a cleaner view of the object they are targeting.

The finder is one of the most important parts of a telescope as it enables the user to track down objects in space. Without the finder it would make it almost impossible to find objects that are long distances away. It is attached to the side of the main telescope.

A Barlow lens is an extra lens that can be placed between the focuser and the eyepiece. It effectively increases the focal length of the telescope, therefore increasing the magnification of a telescope (usually 2x but can go up to 5x).

The mount is the part of a telescope that holds the telescope in place. There are two types of mount the alt-azimuth and the equatorial. There are other types of mounts but they are generally used for larger, advanced telescopes that aren't available in retail stores.

The tripod is the last part of a telescope and comes in lots of different sizes and varieties. They are made up of 3 legs that are used to hold the telescope up to a height where people can stand to use it. Most telescopes you buy come with a tripod but if yours didn't then you can generally get one pretty cheap from most optical stores.


Telescope Parts News

February 2010 Extra

19 Feb 2010 at 10:00am  In this show we find out about space weather from Jim Wild [00:43-09:01] and talk to Marek Kukula about all things Solar [09:01-14:19], Tim answers your astronomical questions [17:21-37:31], and we round-up your feedback.


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February 2010

1 Feb 2010 at 3:59pm  ING direct. We have a couple of interview with scientists at the Isaac Newton Group of telescopes. We find out about the observatory and compact binaries from Dr Pablo Rodríguez-Gil [09:39-32:45] and planetary nebulae from Dr Miguel Santander-García [32:45-48:40]. As always, Megan brings us the latest news [02:00-09:24] and Ian Morison tells us what we can see in the February night sky [52:19-64:39]. Our cover art shows the Isaac Newton Group of telescopes from the air.


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January 2010

2 Jan 2010 at 3:23pm  Looking back, looking forward. It's the end of the International Year of Astronomy 2009. We bring you some of our highlights of the year which celebrated 400 years of the astronomical telescope. We get updates on the 365 Days of Astronomy podcast [16:48-23:37], Universe Awareness for Young Children [46:19-51:42] and Jen - our roving reporter - visits the AstroBunker [23:37-46:19] in Newbury. As always, Megan brings us the latest news [01:21-10:21] and Ian Morison tells us what we can see in the January night sky [52:06-67:37]. Our cover art shows the logo of the International Year of Astronomy.


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December 2009 Extra

22 Dec 2009 at 3:50pm  Live Part 2. In this show we talk to Sir Francis Graham-Smith about his life, being Astronomer Royal and his work on pulsars [01:00-23:44]. We put your astronomical questions to the Jodcast panel [24:19-46:03], and round-up the feedback we've received during the Live shows.


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December 2009

1 Dec 2009 at 3:30pm  Live! After months of talking about it we finally recorded an episode (1 of 2) with a live studio audience. In this bumper show we have an interview with Dr Chris Lintott where we find out about the latest results from Galaxy Zoo [18:36-50:08]. As always, Megan brings us the latest news [08:12-17:56], we discuss recent events in space [67:54-83:00] and Ian Morison tells us what we can see in the December night sky [50:29-67:32]. Our cover art shows some of the presenters and audience who braved the rain at Jodrell Bank during Jodcast Live.


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November 2009

3 Nov 2009 at 8:00am  Moon Calling. In this show we have an interview with John Sarkissian about the history of the Parkes Radio Telescope in Australia [12:50-45:54]. As always, Megan brings us the latest news [01:50-10:35] and Ian Morison tells us what we can see in the November night sky [43:53-57:24]. Our cover art shows Fox Mason at the control desk of the Parkes Telescope in 1970.


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October 2009 Extra

20 Oct 2009 at 7:15am  Moon Watching. In this show we find out about Autumn Moonwatch from Steve Owens [01:59-07:31] and we hear all about the rings and moons of Saturn from Prof. Carl Murray [10:05-39:44]. We put your astronomical questions to Dr Tim O'Brien [42:50-62:30], get a summary of recent news and events [39:44-42:50] and round-up the feedback we've received since the last show.


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