Catadioptric telescopes

Mirror lens

— telescopes that combine in their design a mirror (similar to that used in reflectors — see the relevant paragraph) and lenses; the latter usually play an auxiliary role and are used to increase the multiplicity, eliminate distortion, etc. There are several varieties of mirror-lens systems, but they are all very compact, noticeably superior to reflectors in image quality, and are relatively inexpensive (although noticeably more expensive than "purely mirror" counterparts). It is believed that telescopes of this type are intended mainly for observations of deep space, however, some of the mentioned varieties are conditionally considered "near", some — "far".