Observation telescope

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Observation telescope on the North Sea island of Juist
Observation telescope at the Orangery Kassel

A viewing telescope is a robustly built telescope that is permanently installed in places with heavy tourism and a good view of landscapes or cities. Such telescopes are often found on observation points or on observation terraces , and occasionally in restaurants.

Viewing telescopes are mostly freely accessible and can be used for a short period of time against payment. For this purpose, a coin is usually inserted into a coin slot, which enables a view through the eyepiece, which is why the term coin telescope is also common.

In terms of design, observation telescopes are mostly refractors that offer a few degrees of field of view at around 20x magnification . Occasionally these devices also have a zoom function . The objectives are about 5–8 cm in diameter. In some cases they are designed as double telescopes, which enables spatial vision like binoculars .

Web links

Commons : coin operated telescopes  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files