- Refractor telescopes use a composite or double-glass lens in a long, tubular body to serve as the optical light gatherer and focus device. They feature long, sealed tubes that permit viewing in disturbed atmospheric conditions and keep dust and moisture away from the optics. Refractors come with smaller diameter apertures, rated in millimeters. They have long focal lengths that provide better-than-average viewing of planets and the moon's surface.
Reflector telescopes use a large, concave primary mirror to gather available light, and a secondary mirror to focus it into an eyepiece. Reflector mirror diameters are rated in inches and provide good views of galaxies, supernovae, clusters and faint stars. - The Meade DS-2000 telescope has an aluminum altazimuth tripod, with a clock drive that allows automatic tracking of sky objects. The clock-drive motor is computer-driven, possessing a degree scale for easy object location and targeting. The keypad allows for easy data entry. The lens aperture measures 80 millimeters, with a focal length of 800 millimeters, or f-10. Eyepieces measuring 9.7 and 26 millimeters come standard. All basic sky objects can be viewed with the DS-2000 model. It has a $229 base price, as of 2011.
- The Meade DS-2114AT-TC telescope has an aluminum altazimuth tripod mount, with a clock drive and keyboard for automatic celestial finding and targeting. The mirror diameter measures 114 millimeters, or 4.5 inches, with a focal length of 1,000 millimeters and focal ratio of f-8.8. Nine- and 25-millimeter eyepieces come standard. The TC reflector can resolve all basic celestial objects, but its wider field of view allows more image area, providing views of some of the faintest clusters, stars and galaxies. It has a base price of $249, as of 2011.
- The DS-2130AT-TC is the largest telescope that can be mounted on the aluminum altazimuth tripod mount. It has a motor clock drive for easy finding and targeting, including a finder library of more than 14,000 popular celestial objects. The main mirror has a diameter of 130 millimeters, or 5 inches, allowing views of the faintest objects, beyond the range of smaller aperture scopes. The focal length measures 1,000 millimeters, which tabulates to a f7-7 focal ratio. Standard eyepieces are the 9.7- and 26-millimeter models. The DS-2130 costs $299, as of 2011.
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