Mitchell316 said:Not really sure where to start.
A reflecting telescope is a type of telescope that uses mirrors to gather and focus light instead of lenses. It was invented by Sir Isaac Newton in the 17th century and is commonly used in modern astronomy.
A reflecting telescope works by using a concave mirror to collect and reflect light from distant objects. This light is then directed to a smaller flat mirror, which in turn reflects the light through an opening in the side of the telescope to the eyepiece or camera.
The magnification of a reflecting telescope depends on the focal length of the primary mirror and the eyepiece being used. It can range from 20x to over 1000x, but typically for amateur telescopes, the maximum useful magnification is around 200x.
The magnification of a reflecting telescope is calculated by dividing the focal length of the primary mirror by the focal length of the eyepiece. For example, if the primary mirror has a focal length of 1000mm and the eyepiece has a focal length of 10mm, the magnification would be 100x.
The size of the primary mirror does not directly affect the magnification of a reflecting telescope. However, a larger primary mirror allows for more light to be gathered, resulting in a brighter and sharper image, which can then be magnified further with a higher-powered eyepiece.