What are Some Different Types of Telescopes?
Firstly, types of telescopes are classified by the type of electromagnetic (EM) radiation they are used to observe. The most types of telescopes are optical telescopes, which observe the visible portion of the EM spectrum, followed by radio telescopes, infrared telescopes, gamma-ray telescopes, and x-ray telescopes. Only visible light and radio waves are easily observable from the Earth’s surface — most other types of electromagnetic radiation are blocked by the Earth’s atmosphere. This radiation must thus be largely observed using space-based types of telescopes, like the recently launched Spitzer Space Telescope, which is exclusively devoted to infrared light. Although the basic technology necessary to build a telescope, polished lenses, have been widespread since the 11th century, it wasn’t until 1608 that several Dutch lensmakers, most famously Hans Lippershey, made the first functional telescopes. These “Dutch perspective glasses” only magnified objects by a factor of three. Galil
