Editing Optical telescope (section)

{{short description|Telescope for observations with visible light}}
[[File:LargeBinoTelescope NASA½.jpg|thumb|The [[Large Binocular Telescope]] at the [[Mount Graham International Observatory]] in Arizona uses two curved mirrors to gather light]]

An '''optical telescope''' gathers and [[focus (optics)|focuses]] [[light]] mainly from the [[visible spectrum|visible]] part of the [[electromagnetic spectrum]], to create a [[magnification|magnified]] image for direct visual inspection, to make a [[photograph]], or to collect data through electronic [[image sensor]]s.

There are three primary types of optical [[telescope]] :
* ''[[Refracting telescope]]s'', which use [[lens (optics)|lenses]] and less commonly also [[Prism (optics)|prism]]s ([[dioptrics]])
* ''[[Reflecting telescope]]s'', which use [[mirror]]s ([[catoptrics]])
* ''[[Catadioptric system#Catadioptric telescopes|Catadioptric telescopes]]'', which combine lenses and mirrors

An optical telescope's ability to resolve small details is directly related to the diameter (or [[aperture]]) of its [[objective (optics)|objective]] (the primary lens or mirror that collects and focuses the light), and its light-gathering power is related to the area of the objective.  The larger the objective, the more light the telescope collects and the finer detail it resolves.

People use optical telescopes (including [[monocular]]s and [[binoculars]]) for [[outdoor activities]] such as [[observational astronomy]], [[ornithology]], [[pilotage]], [[hunting]] and [[reconnaissance]], as well as indoor/semi-outdoor activities such as [[opera glass|watching]] [[performance art]]s and [[spectator sport]]s.