What is the difference between reflection and refraction. How do these enable astronomers to build telescopes? Do these principles work equally well for all six types of telescopes and how?
2007-07-16 09:47:49 · 2 answers · asked by david b 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Astronomy & Space
(The telescopes built to view each region of the electromagnetic spectrum?)
2007-07-16 11:39:49 · update #1
Hi Reflection is when light bounces off a reflective surface, usually metal coated glass. Refraction is caused by light traveling through a surface at an angle. Steeper angles produce more bending of the light. The rest of your question relates to how well other parts of the spectrum would respond to these properties. Not well I'm afraid. X-rays for instance need an extremely close angle of incidence to reflect. (Look up 'Chandra'). Radio waves use metal reflectors etc. Hope this helps.
2007-07-16 12:00:57 · answer #1 · answered by Cirric 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
This is obviously a question you've copied out of a text book. Unless I had the exact text book in front of me, I have no idea of what these "6 types" of telescopes might be, as no two astronomers would agree on what these "6 types" might be, since there are dozens of different types of telescopes. I'm sure the answer is in your text book too, but you're too lazy to look for it. How about doing a little reading and thinking for a change?
2007-07-16 10:22:40 · answer #2 · answered by GeoffG 7 · 0⤊ 5⤋