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Refractor telescopes
Refractor telescopes usually give a higher contrast image than reflecting telescopes of the same aperture and quality. They are more expensive "per inch" of aperture than reflectors, however they are smaller and more portable.
Refractors deliver a very high contrast image, and can be used at a variety of magnifications. For this reason they are a favourite amongst astro imagers and visual users alike. Triplet APO type refractors higher quality images with better colour correction and contrast than ED Doublet refractors.
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Newtonian telescopes
The Newtonian is the most cost effective reflecting telescope design. Newtonians are good for wide field and high power views. Newtonian optics are the easiest to make well, and therefore cost less for good quality and larger mirror size. They can be mounted on an Equatorial mount or a basic Dobsonian mount which you can aim by hand, so you can always start off with a small outlay and upgrade later to a full Goto system which finds objects and slews to them automatically.
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SCT & Maksutov Telescopes
From manufacturers Altair Astro, Celestron, SkyWatcher and Meade. SCTs and Maksutovs are multi-purpose telescopes for deep sky and planetary viewing. The aim is to fit the largest possible aperture into the most compact possible tube, keeping the telescope short and light. These telescopes can be used for visual observing or imaging.
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Astrograph telescopes
Astrograph telescopes have a flat field and/or a fast focal ratio are best for astro imaging. Includes designs such as the Ritchey Chretien, Maksutov Cassegrain, fast Newtonians and the most popular of all - "short" focal ratio refractors with good colour correction.
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Truss-Tube Dobsonian telescopes
Truss-Tube Dobsonian telescopes are designed to house a large aperture mirror in a very portable package. They are very good value for money for deep sky visual use and are easy to manage.
Most 10-16" Truss Tube Dobsonians fit into a small car-boot or hatchback! Dobsonians take a few minutes to assemble and collimate once you've arrived at your dark sky observing site. Because the large mirrors gather a lot of light, they're a favourite for starparties and deliver very impressive views of deep sky objects.
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