Reflecting Telescopes

In 1680, Isaac Newton developed one of the first reflecting telescopes. There was a problem wit the images having a rainbow of color surrounding them. So instead of using a lens to focus light, Newton tried a small curved metal mirror in the back of the telescope. He also made a discovery in 1666 about the light of colors. Newton figured out that the scope's problems were due to the color spectrum much more than the shape of the mirrors. He also concluded that refraction of light couldn't be replicated without color. John Hadley developed a telescope that used parabolic mirrors in 1722.

These types of telescopes are great for viewing comets, nebulae, star clusters, and other galaxies. They offer a wider field of view than refracting telescopes do. These have short focal ratios and lower magnification.
They are relatively cheap to make at home. The only problem is you have to keep the mirrors clean and in line. If you grind the mirror wrong, it will distort your images. Since the scopes will have a huge light focusing ability, you will be able to view deep sky objects as well as take pictures of what you are seeing.
There are many designs that you can choose from for your telescope, but the original Newtonian is the easiest. You will need a parabolic mirror, a spherical mirror, and a flat mirror. The focal ratio should be around f/8 or longer. This number refers to the brightness and width of the field of view. For example, the ratio of f/8 is good for all around viewing.
Have fun with your creation and see what you can find in the space around you. There are so many interesting sights to view out there and many beautiful pictures to take.