{{More citations needed|date=March 2007}} [[File:Komeetan tähtitorni201205.jpg|right|thumb|Small telescope mounted at an angle, forming an equatorial mount; note the retracted roof of the observatory]] A '''small telescope''' is generally considered by professional astronomers to be any reflecting telescope with a primary mirror that is less than {{convert|2|m|in|sigfig=1}} in diameter.<ref name="NinePlanets">{{cite web |last=Arnett |first=Bill |title=Large Telescopes |url=http://astro.nineplanets.org/bigeyes.html |website=astro.nineplanets.org |date=August 14, 2010|accessdate=March 9, 2019}}</ref>{{Citation needed|date=March 2019|reason=This '''software engineer's''' webpage does not seem sufficient to justify the premise of this entire article, even it '''did''' state this directly, which it doesn't.}} By amateur standards, a small telescope can have a primary mirror/aperture less than {{convert|6|–|10|in|mm|sigfig=2}} in diameter.<ref name="ST20101210">{{cite web |title=Three Great, Small Reflectors |publisher=Sky & Telescope |last=Flanders |first=Tony |date=December 10, 2010 |url=http://www.skyandtelescope.com/astronomy-news/three-great-small-reflectors/ |accessdate=October 26, 2015}}</ref> Little if any professional-level research is performed with refracting telescopes in the modern era of astronomy.
Small telescopes dominate astronomical research in the fields of asteroid/comet discovery/observation, variable star photometry, supernova/nova discovery, and colorimetry/polarimetry of the Solar System's planets.
Because of their limited light-gathering capability, small telescopes are usually not well-suited to spectroscopy. However, some useful spectroscopic work can be performed with reflecting telescopes with a primary mirror as small as {{Convert|14|in|mm}} when equipped with the increasingly sophisticated CCD imaging and spectroscopic instrumentation that has become available to amateur astronomers in the 21st century.
Most telescopes within the field of amateur astronomy are considered to be small, ranging in general from {{Convert|2|in|mm|sigfig=1|adj=on}} refracting achromatic telescopes, to reflecting telescopes featuring primary mirrors up to {{Convert|36|in|mm}} or more in diameter. Most small telescopes are dedicated to visual observation, although many are used for astrophotography or to gather scientific data.
The range of amateur astronomers' telescopes is wide, with numerous types and designs. Refracting designs include achromatic and apochromatic types. Some reflecting types are Newtonian, Schmidt–Cassegrain, Maksutov-Cassegrain, and Maksutov-Newtonian. Even sophisticated designs, such as the Ritchey–Chrétien and (corrected){{Clarify|date=March 2019|reason=Could a subject expert find a link for "corrected"?}} Dall–Kirkham, which have traditionally been used only in large professional-grade instruments, have become available to amateurs.
==References== {{Reflist}}
Category:Optical telescopes
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