Here's why:

* Refracting telescopes use lenses to bend light and focus it onto a focal point. These were the first type of telescopes developed, with Galileo Galilei being credited with some of the earliest designs in the early 17th century.

* Reflecting telescopes, which use mirrors to reflect light, were developed later in the 17th century by Isaac Newton.

So, while both types are important in the history of astronomy, "refracting telescope" is the term used to describe the earliest models.