This review, “Off-axis vision,” appeared in the October 2003 issue of Astronomy magazine.
Want to trigger a debate at your next club meeting or star party? Drop this seemingly innocent question on your favorite star gazers: “Which is better: a refractor, reflector, or catadioptric telescope?” Then, as fans of each arm themselves with statistics, preferences, tradition, and their own personal idiosyncrasies, disarm them with this: I know a reasonably priced telescope that combines the high contrast of refractors with the true-color views of reflectors.
As they settle down, remind them of the pros and cons of each design. Refractor lovers must cope with chromatic aberration in all but the most expensive apochromatic instruments, and for reflectors and catadioptrics, contrast is their weakness.
Now that your friends are moonstruck, tell them about Dan McShane, an amateur astronomer and telescope maker from Westminster, Massachusetts, who founded DGM Optics in 1996 and began offering clear-aperture reflecting telescopes.
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