What are the advantages of refracting telescopes?
• No obstruction in the light path to degrade the image • Less affected by temperature changes than any other type • The fully-enclosed tube reduces air-currents, leading to steadier images • The optical components rarely require collimation – an especially important consideration if the telescope is intended to be portable • Easier to effectively baffle stray internal reflections that would otherwise degrade the image • Smaller optical tube for equivalent image quality
