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Lens Telescope

Lens Telescope

How to Make a Telescope: Tips and Guidelines for Beginners

Making a telescope is an extraordinarily rewarding experience because it crosses several different realms of experience. The first reward for you is the fun of making something. And the second reward is the sheer pleasure of using what you made to explore the universe. And you also get the added benefits of saving some money and Learning About Telescopes and building things.

The Simplest telescope you can make

There are a lot of different types you can make and the absolute simplest one you can make is composed of just two lenses. One large lens called an objective and a second smaller lens called an eyepiece. You hold one lens near your eye and another lens at arms length. You adjust the difference between the two by moving your arm in toward you.  A point will be reached where everything comes into focus.  It is as simple as that. You have a telescope.  Now you can make it much better by creating a tube around it. Get two cardboard tubes with one that can slide in and out of the other. You mount one lens on the end of one tube and the other lens on the end of the other tube.  Insert one tube into the other and then slide them in and out to find the focus.  

You can get very inexpensive lenses from a variety of surplus and online stores and they generally will only cost a couple of dollars each. I recommend you get for your primary lens a convex lens at least 50 millimeters in diameter and a focal length of between 200 and 300 millimeters. For the secondary lens I recommend you get a convex lens that is between 10 and 25 millimeters wide with a focal length of less than 75 millimeters.

There are several things you can do to make this telescope even better. First off you could make a tube out of something more durable than cardboard tubes.  Secondly,  this type of telescope will invert images so everything appears upside down which is ok for viewing the sky but is very awkward for viewing things on the earth. You can solve this by using a concave lens for the eyepiece rather than a convex lens.

You can purchase the lenses individually from online surplus stores and there are several kits readily available that give you all the necessary materials to make this kind of telescope. They also come in bulk units for classroom and group use. A kit like this typically gives you all the materials needed to make ten or more telescopes.

Getting A little more involved with your telescope making

If you want a bit more of a challenge you should consider making some type of Reflector Telescope. Instead of a large Objective Lens as the light gatherer this type uses a mirror.  A reflector can be very economical by giving you great price versus performance. Mirrors cost substantially less than lenses so for the same amount of money spent you can get a much larger and much more powerful telescope.

If you have a bit of woodworking or metal working skill and you want to tackle a project that is well within the means of a hobbyist you might want to consider making a Dobsonian telescope.  A Dobsonian telescope uses a parabolic mirror to collect the light and most Dobsonian builders buy the mirror then build the mount for the mirror to go in. The basic concept of this type of telescope is that it is easy to build and easy to use. It is pretty much just a rotating base with a telescope tube mounted on it. And this type of instrument has gotten very popular because it really is easy to use and easy to build. And one of the biggest benefits is that because it is so inexpensive to build more money can be spent on larger mirrors which can make them quite remarkable in terms of their ability to see things in the night sky.  If you are considering making this type of scope you probably should begin with one that has a mirror between six and eight inches in diameter.

Whether you build a refractor or a reflector telescope making is a very rewarding pursuit and is something you can enjoy for a lifetime. And once you start you might find that you have caught the fever and will be always looking toward building bigger and better ones.  For some people making them is half the fun.

 

 

About the Author

The author has been an amateur astronomer for many decades. Learn more about Telescopes And Astronomy by visiting his website at:

TelescopeNerd.com

You can see drawings and more explanation of making a simple Refractor Telescope by visiting his tutorial at:

Make a simple Refractor

You wish to design a telescope using an objective lens?

You wish to design a telescope using an objective lens with fobj = 0.82 m. If you use an eyepiece with a magnification of 25, what are the following?
the total magnification of the telescope

67

Sony Ericsson W810 with brando Telescope Lens

Gregorian telescope Photo Mugs This small brass reflecting telescope uses a curved mirror rather than an objective lens to collect light and produce the observed image.....

Gregorian telescope with case Photo Mugs This small brass telescope is a reflecting telescope that uses a curved mirror rather than an objective lens to collect light and produce the observed image.....

Lookout telescope Photo Mugs This is a hand-held achromatic telescope for use on board ship. It has a single draw tube, an extending shade for the objective lens to reduce glare when in use and a sliding eyepiece cover. The barrel is covered in leather, while all the other fittings are brass.....

Terra Star 60mm Refracting Telescope with Carry Bag $42.99 "The Meade NG-60 60mm refracting telescope is an excellent first telescope for the beginning astronomer or the casual observer of land or sky. Supplied complete with two eyepieces, a fine achromatic objective lens, a fully adjustable aluminum tripod, and the modern, highly functional Meade NG-series altazimuth mounting, the NG-60 easily surpasses commonly available, lower-quality introductory tele...

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Petzl E44850 Tikka/Zipka 3-Lens Kit $5.95 640049 Features: Just remove the original lens and replace with one from the kit Includes red, green and clear lenses Specifications:...

Hubble's Canvas - Two Pack (Home Use) $24.95 Space, the final frontier, comes into focus for the armchair astronaut with Hubble's Canvas, a series of 30-minute programs that reveal the artistry and explains the science of outer space. Hubble's Canvas is narrated by noted astronomy columnist Ivan Semeniuk. From its lofty perch high above earth's atmosphere, the Hubble Space Telescope can see both nearby and distant objects with unwavering cl...

Hubble's Canvas $23.99 Space, the final frontier, comes into focus for the armchair astronaut with Hubble's Canvas, a series of 30-minute programs that reveal the artistry and explains the science of outer space. Hubble's Canvas is narrated by noted astronomy columnist Ivan Semeniuk. From its lofty perch high above earth's atmosphere, the Hubble Space Telescope can see both nearby and distant objects with unwavering cl...

Double Convex Glass Magnifying Lens. 63mm Dia. x 78mm F.L. Double Convex Lens A wonderful double convex lens! Measures 63mm (approx 2-1/2") dia with a 78mm (3") focal length. Make your own telescope, or teleidoscope. Spin it around on top of your desk when you're not magnifying your cuticles with it. Or just admire it. Better buy a handful as token gifts for special people, while we still have them....

Tundra 94LT50D Lint-Free Non-Abrasive Lens Cleaning Tissue $0.99 A soft thin Lint-Free tissue specially prepared for cleaning cameras, lenses, projectors, telescopes, magnifying glasses, microscopes, laboratory apparatus, fine optical instruments, etc. Tissues are processed for tensile strength and absorption qualities, cleans all optical surfaces crystal clear....

Orion T-ring for Minolta Camera $20.99 A T-ring converts a camera's lens mount to a standard T-thread, allowing you to couple a camera body to a camera adapter or, in some cases, directly to the focuser of a telescope. All camera adapters, including Celestron and Meade T-adapters and universal camera adapters, will fit this T-thread. Have a new digital SLR camera? We've got the T-rings you'll need. The #5224 T-ring fits the Canon 300D ...

GSI Deluxe Lens Cleaning Pen System, Cleans all Camera Lenses, Telescopes, Binoculars, LCD, Plasma, Screens, Watches and Flashes from Dust, Dirt and Fingerprints - Pocket Tool. $0.35 The GSI Lens Pen Cleaning Pen System is a great accessory for any optics user, making it great for maintaining your digital or film camera, binoculars, telescopes, or spotting scopes. The soft retractable brush removes fingerprints, dust and other debris that may compromise your lens. The small, pen-style design easily fits in any camera bag, as the soft brush retracts into pen body to stay clean....

TourMate Optical 6X Zoom Lens Camera Telescope with Black Back Case For Apple iPad 2 (All Models) $22.99 Using the iPad 2 to get long shots? We are! That's because we have TourMate - the 6 fold zoom telescope camera lens plus back case. It zooms to allow clear distant views such as watching a football game, attending a concert, touring in some places, examining some wild animals, etc. You might be a journalist who needs it for distant shots. You might be an expert in investigator who takes pictures a...

New 6X Optical Zoom Lens Camera Telescope+Back Case for Apple iPad 2 iPad2 $19.99 A perfect item for Apple iPad 2 users and lovers. Smart design for focusing longer distance when taking photo or video. Detachable lens that adds 6X optical magnification to your iPad 2 built-in camera. Overcome the short coming of camera cell-phone that can only near-sighted. Can be used as a mini monocular. Black cover case snaps on to your iPad 2 for normal protection . Package include: 1 x 6...

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Celestron T-Ring / T-Mount Adapter f/Nikon $9.95 Nikon T-Ring...

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Orion Multiple 5-Filter Wheel and Color Filter Set $179.99 Includes #5520 filter wheel and set of four 1.25" color filters (neutral density Moon filter, #25 red and #80A medium blue color planetary filters and a SkyGlow light pollution filter) for planet study....

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Making a Refractor Telescope $34.95 This is a hands-on book for the amateur who has always wanted to make a refractor. The author adopts the role of coach and guides the reader, step by step, through all aspects of making a doublet lens; from the characteristics of glass, abrasives, and pitch to methods for mounting the finished lens. The author's spreadsheet programs, included on CD-ROM, provide a direct approach to designing a wel...

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DSI Zoom Lens $0.90 Detachable 8x optical magnification lens Snap clearer photos with the external DSi camera from greater distances Form fitting case protects DSi from bumps and scratches Textured grip for extended gameplay sessions Protective lens case for easy storage and travel...

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Nikon 7072 Lens Pen Cleaning System $6.90 New Nikon Lenspen Pro 7072 Cleaning System Lens Pen.Will not scratch or damage lens.Outperforms all other lens cleaning devices.Unique LensPen tip is self-replenishing.Cleaning compound will not spill or dry up....

Carson MM-200 Carson Micromax LED 60X-100X LED Lighted Pocket Microscope $19.00 CARSON MM-200 MICROMAX LEDTM 60X-100X POCKET MICROSCOPE...

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