Large-Aperture Telescope

The benefit of viewing through a large-aperture telescope is that it collects more light and allows one to see fainter and more distant objects than telescopes with smaller apertures. The aperture (diameter of the telescope’s mirror) determines the light-gathering ability of a telescope. The larger the mirror of a telescope, the fainter the objects you can see because the larger mirror gathers more light. Most backyard telescopes have mirrors that vary from 3 inches to 8 or 10 inches in diameter. The Lone Star Observatory telescope has a 24-inch diameter mirror and collects 64 times the light that a 3-inch diameter mirror would collect. This means you can see far more distant objects that are out-of-range for telescopes of smaller aperture.