Does my AstroMaster 130 have a spherical or parabolic mirror? What is the difference?
September 25, 2011
The AstroMaster 130 has a spherical mirror.
Telescope mirrors are described by their figures in terms of the curvature of the optical surface. A spherical figure is one type of curvature which is like a section of a sphere’s surface, while a parabolic figure is another more complex curve. This curvature determines how the light is focused by the mirror.
