Is the Emphasis on the Construction of Very Large Ground-Based Telescopes (6-10 Meters) at the Expense of Smaller Telescopes (1-4 Meters) a Poor Allocation of Resources?
Viewpoint: Yes, the emphasis on the construction of large telescopes is a poor allocation of resources, as smaller telescopes offer accessibility and affordability that larger telescopes cannot match.
Viewpoint: No, the emphasis on the construction of large telescopes is not a poor allocation of resources; on the contrary, such large telescopes are indispensable to the research questions at the heart of modern astronomy.
At the time of its invention 400 years ago, the telescope was a crude and arcane instrument known to only a few brilliant scientists such as Galileo. Today, it is a commonplace item available in department stores for less than $100. Small department store telescopes, however, often carry misleading advertising in the form of huge print on the box proclaiming "Magnifies 880X!" This means that with the proper eyepiece in place, the telescope will magnify an image 880 times—but it is hardly the most relevant property of the instrument.
Telescopes are most usefully characterized by the diameter of their primary light-gathering optical element, whether a lens or mirror. This main optical element is the telescope's "light bucket," with which it collects light from distant objects.
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