List of telescope types

There are many ways of categorizing telescopes, and within major classifications, there are usually many variations due to professional, amateur, and commercial sub-types. Telescopes can be classified by optical design, such as refracting telescopes. Telescopes can also be classified by where they are placed, such as space telescopes. One major determining factor is type of light, or particle being observed including devices referred to as "telescopes" that do not form an image or use optics. Some telescopes are classified by the task they perform; for example Solar telescopes are all designs that look at the Sun, Dobsonian telescopes are designed to be low cost and portable, Aerial telescopes overcame the optical shortcomings of 17th century objective lenses, etc.

List of optical telescope types

Optical telescopes can be classified by three primary optical designs (refractor, reflector, or catadioptric), by sub-designs of these types, or by the task they perform. They all have their different advantages and disadvantages and they are used in different areas of professional and amateur astronomy.

Refracting telescopes (Dioptrics)

• Achromatic telescope
  • dialytic refractor
• Apochromatic
• Binoculars
  • Opera glasses
• Monocular
• Non-achromatic
  • Galilean telescope
  • Keplerian Telescope
    • Aerial telescope
• Superachromat
• Varifocal gas-lens telescope

Reflecting telescopes (Catoptrics)

• Cassegrain telescope
  • Dall–Kirkham telescope
  • Nasmyth telescope
  • Ritchey–Chrétien telescope
• Gregorian telescope
• Herrig telescope
• Herschelian telescope
• Large liquid mirror telescope
• Newtonian telescope
  • Dobsonian telescope
• Pfund telescope
• Schiefspiegler telescope
• Stevick–Paul telescope
• Toroidal reflector / Yolo telescope

Catadioptric telescopes (Catadioptrics)

• Argunov–Cassegrain telescope
• Catadioptric dialytes
• Klevtsov–Cassegrain telescope
• Lurie–Houghton telescope
• Maksutov telescope
  • Maksutov camera
  • Maksutov–Cassegrain telescope
    • Gregory (Spot) Maksutov-Cassegrain telescope
    • Rutten Maksutov-Cassegrain telescope
    • Sub-aperture corrector Maksutov-Cassegrain telescope
  • Maksutov Newtonian telescope
• Modified Dall–Kirkham telescope
• Schmidt camera
  • Baker-Nunn camera
  • Baker-Schmidt camera
  • Lensless Schmidt telescope
  • Mersenne-Schmidt camera
  • Schmidt–Cassegrain telescope
    • ACF Schmidt–Cassegrain telescope (Meade Instruments)
  • Schmidt–Newton telescope
  • Schmidt-Väisälä camera

Telescopes classified by the task performed

• Astrograph
• Comet seeker
• GoTo telescopes
• Graphic telescope
• Infrared telescope
• Meridian circle
• Robotic telescope
• Solar telescope
• Space telescope
• Spotting scope
• Sun Gun Telescope
• Zenith telescope

List of telescope types working outside the optical spectrum

• Atmospheric Cherenkov telescope used to detect gamma rays
• Infrared telescope
• Radio telescope
• Submillimeter Telescope (see also Submillimeter astronomy)
• Ultraviolet telescope (see also Ultraviolet astronomy)
• X-ray telescope (see also X-ray astronomy)
  • Wolter telescope

See also: Electromagnetic spectrum

List of broad spectrum telescopes

• Fast Fourier Transform Telescope

List of telescope mounts types

Optical and other types of telescopes are mounted on different types of mounts.

• Fixed mount
• Transit mount
• Zenith mount
• Altazimuth mount
• Alt-alt (altitude-altitude) mount
• Equatorial mount
  • Equatorial platform
    • Poncet Platform
  • Fork mount
  • German equatorial mount
  • Barn door tracker (Scotch mount)
  • Springfield mount
• Hexapod mount
• Infinite-axis telescope

See also

• List of optical telescopes
• List of largest optical reflecting telescopes
• List of largest optical refracting telescopes
• List of largest optical telescopes historically
• List of radio telescopes
• List of space telescopes
• List of solar telescopes
• List of telescope parts and construction
• Category:Telescopes
• Category:Cosmic-ray telescopes
• Category:Gamma-ray telescopes
• Category:Gravitational wave telescopes
• Category:High energy particle telescopes
• Category:Infrared telescopes
• Category:Submillimetre telescopes
• Category:Ultraviolet telescopes
• Category:X-ray telescopes
• History of the telescope
• List of observatories