Telescopes with parabolic reflector

Parabolic mirror

— mirror telescopes equipped with a parabolic mirror (in the form of a paraboloid of revolution).

Note that most modern telescopes use spherical mirrors, which are easy to manufacture, inexpensive, and readily available. However, such a shape, especially at high magnification, gives distortions (the so-called spherical aberrations), sometimes quite noticeable. Parabolic mirrors do not have this drawback: they provide a clear and reliable image at any magnification. Due to this, it is the "paraboloids" that are considered the best option for observing deep space objects and other tasks where significant magnification and good image quality are required. The disadvantage of such telescopes is traditional — the high price.