Telescope Making

All the early astronomers were amateurs and made their own telescopes, cf, Galileo!  In America in the 1920s and 1930s, amateur telescope making got a big boost from folks like Russell Porter and Albert Ingalls.  Up until the 1980s amateurs who wanted a larger (than, say 6 inch aperture) had to make their own.  Time flies and technology advances.  For many years it has been  manufactured telescopes that have largely  replaced home-made ones (except for larger than, say, 16 inch apertures which still finds and active group of makers).  But the thrill of seeing Saturn through a telescope of ones own making is one that will never be forgotten.

But today, advances in technologies such as 3D printing and low cost computational power makes the prospect of making beginner-class telescopes very inviting.  Good quality beginner telescopes in the 3 to 6 inch aperture range cost upwards of $250 (2024 dollars).  Anything cheaper is likely to be unsatisfactory chiefly due to mount deficiencies.  

We have plans and instructions (below)  for making a quality 114 mm aperture telescope for about $100 outlay for parts and materials.  This telescope easily reveals a myriad of details on the Moon, rings of Saturn, Jupiter and its moons, deep sky objects such as the Andromeda galaxy and Orion nebula, double stars and more.  It has a provision for using a retired smart phone to navigate away from bright stars to find even more fascinating objects.  Click here for plans for the D114F900 telescope.

We are working on a design for a 160 mm aperture telescope that should come in for around $150.  Stay tuned.