To get more information about the different telescopes and to view a diagram of each, please click on the names at the beginning of each paragraph.
 Refractors use a lens that tends to act more like a prism, causing color halos. That is why different types of glass are used to offset the halos. Refractors limit what you can see through the lens and are not very efficient for photography. Refractors are reliable, require little maintenance, and are good for distant terrestial viewing.They are not good for viewing small, deep sky objects and tend to be long, heavy, and bulky.
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Reflectors use a combination of mirrors rather than lens and include Newtonian and Cassegrain telescopes. They are good for taking photographs. Reflectors are reasonably compact and portable, and are good for lunar and planetary work.
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Compound telescopes referred to as catadioptic, use a combination of mirrors and correcting lenses, and tend to be more compact and portable. The compound telescope is the best, all-around telescope, good for viewing lunar and planetary observations. It is portable and compact and is the most versatile. The Schmidt camera is a type of compound telescope that uses a wide angle camera and is good for patroling space to locate objects, but has no eyepiece. Instead, there is a separate refracting telescope attached to it.
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