A Homemade Telescope

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The diagonal mirror is glued to a section of 3/4
The diagonal mirror is glued to a section of 3/4" dowel and hung from a 1/8" threaded rod.
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The homemade telescope's power (about 70) can reveal relief on the moon's surface.
The homemade telescope's power (about 70) can reveal relief on the moon's surface.
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The main mirror sits in a routed piece of 3/4
The main mirror sits in a routed piece of 3/4" plywood.
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Drilling a 15/16
Drilling a 15/16" eyepiece hole saves buying an expensive mount.
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The finished telescope.
The finished telescope.
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This scope's power (about 70) can reveal relief on the moon's surface.
This scope's power (about 70) can reveal relief on the moon's surface.

“Space — the final frontier ….”

Those words, spoken by Scar Trek’s Captain Kirk many years ago, still hold true today. There are billions of stars, planets, moons, and comets (of which Halley’s is only one) out there for us to explore. Of course, during this generation at least, few of us will be lucky enough to actually venture into space. But, on starry nights, we can look up and wonder.

A naked eye peering into the sky can divine a few of the universe’s secrets, but with a telescope your vision can reach deep into space for answers. For a novice stargazer, though, buying a telescope is a big step. To get a top-notch new scope, you’d have to invest hundreds of dollars … and what’s to say that you (or your aspiring child astronomer) won’t lose interest after a few nights?

The solution — one that will require more personal and less monetary investment — is to build a homemade telescope. With tools no more sophisticated than a power saw, a router, and a drill — and some care in construction — you can produce a quality 3-3/8″ Newtonian reflector telescope that is comparable to commercial scopes costing three or four times as much!

Telescope Optics

  • Published on May 1, 1985
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