No they are not bigger then radio telescopes at all.
They are optical telescopes.
The surface of a radio telescope doesn't have to be as flawless as the surface of an optical telescope because the radio telescope is collecting radio waves, something that will not be affected by faults in the glass. Optical telescopes, on the other hand, are collecting light, where faults in the surface can interfere with the image.
Radio telescopes are much larger than optical telescopes because of wavelength. Earth's atmosphere has two major "windows" where it is transparent to photons: 300 nm - 800 nm: optical wavelength window (approximate) 30 mm - 30 m: radio wavelength window (approximate) Even the shortest-wavelengths used by radio telescopes at around 30 mm are still thousands of times longer than the longest wavelengths used by optical telescopes. The wavelength has 2 effects on the size of a telescope: * The angular resolution (in order to distinguish 2 nearby stars, FWHM) depends on the wavelength/aperture ratio. Radio-frequency photons require a wider aperture to focus than visible-light-frequency photons, so radio telescopes *must* be larger to get a reasonable resolution. * A telescope typically requires the collecting area to be aligned within 1/10 of the wavelength it is designed for. Because it is almost impossible to get all the parts of a sufficiently large telescope aligned to within 80 nm, radio telescopes *can* be built much larger.
Quasars and some pulsars are dim in the visible light range. In the radio spectrum, however, they're extremely bright, and as such observing them in telescopes that observe these wavelengths is more beneficial.
Radio telescopes collect radio waves. Optical telescopes capture visible light waves.
Optical telescopes use either lens' (refractory) or mirrors (reflective) to magnify light. Radio telescopes use dishes to pick up radio waves. sensors on the dishes collect the waves and turn them into a picture
No they are not bigger then radio telescopes at all.
Radio telescopes collect radio waves. Optical telescopes capture visible light waves.
As far as I know, there is no "optical radio telescope". There are, separately, optical telescopes (which work with visible light), and radio telescopes (which work with radio waves).
Radio telescopes can observe objects that are not visible in optical light, such as cold interstellar gas clouds. They are also able to penetrate through dust and gas that can block optical light. Radio telescopes can provide information about different physical phenomena, such as synchrotron radiation from high-energy particles or cosmic microwave background radiation.
Not necessarily.
As far as I know, there is no "optical radio telescope". There are, separately, optical telescopes (which work with visible light), and radio telescopes (which work with radio waves).
using radio waves it collects the data.
They are optical telescopes.
Yes, that is correct.
Ability to detect radio waves is not a property of optical telescopes. Optical telescopes are designed to detect and focus visible light to form images of distant objects in space. Radio telescopes, on the other hand, are specifically designed to detect and study radio waves emitted by celestial objects.