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A globular cluster is
a spherical grouping of
tens of thousands of
stars, which are tightly
bound by gravity.
They are found in the
outer reaches of spiral
and elliptical galaxies.
Globular Cluster
Here are some ray diagrams for a number of different telescopes:
Ray Diagrams
The example ray diagram above shows three imaginary "rays" of light being reflected off a mirror and then going through a lens. You can see where the focus is by looking where the "rays" cross each other. It is the lens that is making the light focus. If you want to use a mirror to focus light, then it needs to have a curved surface. It is these curved mirrors that are used in telescopes.
Refracting Telescope
The light enters the telescope from the left and is focussed by the main Lens. The Eyepiece (another, smaller lens) is used to magnify the image for us to look at.
Primary Focus Telescope
The light enters the telescope from the left and is focussed by reflecting off the large Concave Mirror. Since the focus is inside the telescope, it is difficult to see the result or put an instrument there. Normally telescopes use another mirror to move the focus somewhere else (see the ray diagrams for Newtonian and Cassegrain telescopes).
Newtonian Focus Telescope
The light enters the telescope from the left and is focussed by reflecting off the large, curved Primary Mirror. A flat mirror is then used move the focus outside the telescope where it is easier to see, or to put an instrument to measure the light.
Cassegrain Focus Telescope
The light enters the telescope from the left and is focussed by reflecting off the large, concave (curves inwards) Primary Mirror. A convex (curves or bulges outwards) secondary mirror is then used to move the focus right down through a hole in the centre of the primary mirror, where the instruments are located.
Most modern professional telescopes are of this type, including the Liverpool Telescope.
