How do telescopes magnify distant stars?

Telescopes magnify distant stars primarily by collecting and focusing more light than the human eye can capture. The basic principle behind telescopes is that they gather light from a distant object and concentrate it to form a brighter and clearer image. Since stars and other celestial bodies are extremely far away and often very faint, the more light a telescope can collect, the better it can reveal details that are invisible to the naked eye. Most telescopes use large lenses (refracting telescopes) or mirrors (reflecting telescopes) to gather light. The size of the primary lens or mirror, called the aperture, determines how much light the telescope can collect. A larger aperture means more light is collected, resulting in a brighter and sharper image. This light is then focused to form an image that can be magnified by the eyepiece lens, allowing us to see distant stars as larger and more detailed points of light. In addition to magnification, telescopes improve resolution, which is the ability to distinguish two close objects as separate. This is why even very powerful telescopes don't just make stars bigger but reveal finer details of planets, nebulae, and galaxies. So, by gathering more light and focusing it effectively, telescopes enable us to observe objects many light-years away that would otherwise be invisible or appear as tiny dots to the naked eye.