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What is the main purpose of a telescope?

  • Collect light

Astronomical objects are faint.
That's why astronomers work at night.

Magnification is not all that hard.
A bigger telescope cannot magnify an object any more than a smaller telescope.
Stars and other point sources don't get any "bigger" when magnified. Their light is just spead out.
Faint extended objects lose their contrast when they are magnified.

Resolution is not the same as magnification.
The atmosphere limits the resolution. To get better resolution you have to go higher in the atmosphere (onto mountain tops) or even above the atmosphere.


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