A refracting telescope (also known as a refractor) is an optical telescope that forms an image using a lens as its objective. Refracting telescopes were first used in spy glasses and astronomical telescopes, but they are now also used in long-focus camera lenses.
While large refracting telescopes were common in the second half of the nineteenth century, the reflecting telescope, which allows for wider apertures, has largely replaced the refracting telescope for most research purposes. The magnification of a refractor is measured by dividing the objective lens’s focal length by the eyepiece’s focal length.
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Humans have always been fascinated by celestial bodies. Our ever-increasing desire to discover them has brought our solar system closer to us. The use of Refractor Telescopes is one of the simplest and most common methods of exploring our solar system and universe.
As compared to reflector and compound telescopes, refractor telescopes are simple to operate, have a convenient design that makes them more manageable, and need less maintenance.
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Objective Lens Diameter: 70 Millimeters | Product Weight: 17.99 pounds | Magnification: 45x, 90x | Product Dimensions: 14.96 x 5.12 x 3.94 inches
The Celestron AstroMaster is a superior choice for those looking for a professionally designed, durable, and long-lasting dual-purpose telescope. The AstroMaster Series 70AZ Refractor Telescope is a user-friendly and powerful telescope engineered with a lightweight frame and fully-coated glass optics. It includes two eyepieces (20mm and 10mm), an adjustable-height tripod, and a red dot finder scope.
The AstroMaster is made of high-quality materials to provide clear and bright images of Saturn, Jupiter, and the Moon, along with deep space objects including brighter galaxies and nebulae. For even more versatility, you can also use this telescope for viewing land-based objects during daytime hours. The two eyepieces combined with the powerful 70mm aperture optics produce amazing magnification. The 20mm eyepiece has a 45x magnification, while the second 10mm eyepiece can zoom up to 90x.
Objective Lens Diameter: 70 Millimeters | Product Weight: 5.79 pounds | Eyepiece: Low: 25mm(16X), High:10mm(40X) | Focal Length: 400mm(f/5.7) | Max Magnification: 120X
Gskyer 70mm Astronomical Refractor Telescope This 70x400mm refractor telescope can be a good observation of celestial bodies and terrestrial objects – best for viewing lunar and planetary. Featuring all coated glass optical components, the travel telescope provides clean, crisp views. Developed with the traveler in mind, this travel telescope features a compact and portable design perfect for the on-the-go sky gazer.
Stepping into the art of stargazing for the very first time can be an overwhelming experience. Overly complicated telescopes, hidden features, and confusing accessories only make the process of getting started more difficult. A balance between affordability and performance is two of the most important aspects to consider before purchasing any telescope. The Gskyer Instruments Infinity 70mm telescope manages to do exactly that – An affordable for a high-quality telescope.
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Objective Lens Diameter: 70 Millimeters | Product Dimensions: 18.5 x 11.5 x 6.4 inches | Product Weight: 4.79 pounds | Magnification: 20x , 50x | Focal Length: 500mm
Altazimuth mounts are some of the most common mounts for both astronomy and photography. It is a simple manual mount that allows you to move the telescope upwards, downwards, left, and right. This gives you the freedom to move the telescope freely across the sky without any constraints, alignment, or calibration necessary.
Objective Lens Diameter: 70 Millimeters | Product Dimensions 45.5 x 22.1 x 10.9 inches | Product Weight: 4.4 pounds
This telescope comes with 4pcs interchangeable eyepieces as well as 3X Barlow lens and 1.5X Erecting eyepiece which you can enjoy a wide range of different magnifications from 16X to 200X, the 5×24 finder scope helps you to aim the objects faster and easier. It is a fun and portable telescope that’s sure to inspire the whole family’s natural inclination to explore.
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Objective Lens Diameter: 50 Millimeters | Product Dimensions: 20.5 x 8.5 x 6.5 inches | Product Weight: 2.3 pounds
The Zhumell 50AZ Portable Refractor telescope is a professionally engineered refractor telescope, perfect for celestial or terrestrial viewing on the go. It’s the ideal telescope for adults and kids to use together with its coated, high-quality glass optics, including a refractor-style 50mm objective lens. This aperture provides high-resolution views without adding a lot of extra weight.
The optical coatings allow more light to pass through to your eye for sharper, crisper views, day or night. The Zhumell telescope for beginners is designed with several bonus accessories that make it exceptionally user-friendly. We’ve included two quality eyepieces (20mm and 8mm), a 3x Barlow lens to triple the power of each eyepiece, and an erect image diagonal for crisp low- and high-power viewing during the day or at night. That means you can enjoy close-ups of wildlife in nature or stargaze with family and friends.
Objective Lens Diameter: 130 Millimeters | Number of Batteries: 1 Lithium Metal batteries required | Magnification: 50x, 100x | Product Dimensions: 35 x 19 x 12 inches | Product Weight: 26.5 pounds
Objective Lens Diameter: 70 Millimeters | Optical Tube Length: 500 Millimeters | Product Dimensions: 24.4 x 5.11 x 4.52 inches | Product Weight: 5.29 pounds
This 500x70mm refractor telescope can be a good observation of the moon and terrestrial objects – best for kids or beginners. Featuring all coated glass optical components, the scope provides clean, crisp views. It’s excellent for daytime birding, nature study, and scenic viewing, and will take you beyond the Earth’s horizon for nighttime stargazing and Moon-watching. Developed with the traveler in mind, this scope features a compact and portable design perfect for the on-the-go sky gazer.
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Objective Lens Diameter: 70 Millimeters | Package Dimensions: 24.1 x 8.4 x 5.1 inches | Product Weight: 5.99 pounds | Focal length: 400mm | Optical coating: multilayer broadband coating
Product Dimensions: 28.75 x 3.5 x 8.5 inches | Product Weight: 2.85 pounds
Vivitar is one of the leading international consumer electronics manufacturers with a rich heritage of technology innovation and affordability dating back to 1938. Vivitar products include digital still cameras, action cams, photo accessories, and mobile accessories which are designed to meet the needs of today’s families. Vivitar is headquartered in Edison, New Jersey, with additional offices across the United Kingdom, Latin America, Canada, and Hong Kong, and global retail distribution spanning more than 100,000 locations in both mass market and specialty channels.
Adventure is in store with the Vivitar Telescope with Tripod! With a variety of interchangeable options to magnify and zoom in on your subjects, you’re all set for an exciting new world of crystal clear picture and discovery. With a 3x finder scope to locate objects faster and a full-size adjustable tripod made to fit any height, the budding scientist within you eagerly awaits to explore a world beyond their front door.
The multiple magnification options let you zoom in at a variety of levels including 60x and 120x so you never miss out on a detail! Need a quick way to find something within the distance? This telescope features a unique 3x finder scope that helps you locate objects faster and with ease.
Objective Lens Diameter: 90 Millimeters | Product Dimensions: 38 x 17 x 11.5 inches | Product Weight: 31.9 pounds
Orion’s AstroView 90 equatorial refractor telescope is a classic Achromatic refractor with excellent optics and an unusually good accessory package. Bigger and more impressive than it looks in pictures, the AstroView 90 is an adult-size telescope that stands nearly five feet high and weighs almost 25 pounds. With fully illustrated instructions the telescope is easy to assemble, and the package includes two Sirius Plossl eyepieces, a 6×30 optical finder scope, and Orion’s Starry Night planetarium software for your computer.
Refractors are known for their crisp, high contrast views of the Moon and planets and the AstroView 90 delivers sharp views right out of the box. The low-power 25mm Sirius Plossl eyepiece (36X magnification) nicely frames the moon, while the high-power 10mm eyepiece (91X magnification) delivers a crisp close-up image full of detail.
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Objective Lens
The objective lens is the lens that allows light to penetrate your telescope. It is located at the telescope’s top end, away from the eyes. You may use this lens to focus on objects in the night sky. The aperture of any lens indicates its size, or to put it another way, the diameter of the lens. As a result, a larger aperture objective lens absorbs more light and allows for a larger object size than a smaller aperture lens.
This gives the impression that the object is brighter and larger. As a result, the aperture should be as large as possible. However, as the objective lens aperture increases, so does the cost and size of your telescope. The objective lens in telescopes is permanently fixed and cannot be adjusted, unlike the eyepiece lenses.
Eyepiece lens
Eyepiece lenses, like the objective lens, are an essential component of every telescope. They can, however, be removed to accommodate different eyepiece lenses. Opposite the objective lens, these are mounted on the back end of telescopes. You can see the object images shot by the objective lens through the eyepiece. As a result, you should still pay attention to how many eyepiece lenses your telescope comes with.
Since the magnification power of each eyepiece varies. It means that you get several views of the same object and can choose the one that is the clearest and largest for you. You would feel handicapped with your telescope if you choose a single eyepiece telescope. Instead of a single eyepiece telescope, you can purchase binoculars.
Magnification
Magnification refers to how large an image will appear when viewed via a telescope. However, not all magnification is appropriate for you. Since image quality degrades as magnification increases, the image becomes fuzzy and dark. When you zoom in on a picture on your smartphone too far, it becomes blurry. So, what should a telescope’s full useful magnification be?
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Telescopes are a fantastic way to pique someone’s interest in astronomy. They will quickly occupy your free time while providing you with stunning views of celestial bodies. So, whether you’re a trained astronomer or just a hobbyist looking for a telescope to pass the time, you’ve come to the right place. All of the brands listed in this article are capable of completing the task.
