Anyone interested in astronomy will eventually get around to evaluating astronomy telescopes to further their hobby. There are many different types and styles that come in a wide variety of price ranges. If you want clear viewing of far away celestial bodies, then you’ll need a good quality telescope.

Telescopes magnify objects that are far away and the general rule is that the bigger the telescope the better view you will get. There are actually 3 kinds - reflector telescopes, refractor telescopes and compound telescopes.

A refractor telescope, or catoptric telescope, gathers light at a focal point which allows your eye to see a far away object. The reflector telescope was brought to us by Sir Isaac Newton and has an advantage over refractor telescopes as it does away with the annoying halos in the images. This is the type of telescope that is typically used today.

The compound or catadioptric telescope is a combination of the reflector and refractor telescopes.

Some astronomy telescopes are very sophisticated and use X-rays and gamma rays. In the Arecibo observatory, the telescope uses dishes with holes to take advantage of radio waves. There are other telescopes that use X-rays or gamma rays but these have to be launched into space before they can be used as our atmospheric conditions do not allow this technology to operate here on earth. The Chandra Observatory uses X-rays to view celestial bodies in outer space and the Spitzer Space Telescope is famous for another non-mirror use - infrared radiation.

Needless to say, astronomy telescopes have come a long way since the days of Copernicus and Galileo. Today, they are not only an indispensable tool for scientists but can be found in many every day homes and indispensable tools for the hobbyist as well.