Telescope Reviews

Want to Make a Homemade Telescope?

May 21st, 2007 Subscribe To Our Feed

So you want to try your hand at making a homemade telescope? We’re not talking about a used cardboard tube and a cheap lens here, but a more sophisticated telescope project. You can liken a homemade telescope project to something like building a computer from a kit.

But don’t get overwhelmed just yet! All it takes is someone with minimal technical skills and a little bit of free time. Of course, the parts will need to be purchased from an optics supplier so a little cash, or available credit card, will be needed.

While you can take the easy route and just purchase a telescope, making a homemade telescope allows you to take personal pride in your new telescope creation. It also allows you to customize the telescope with features just to your liking.

Making the Decision

The choice as to buying a stock telescope or taking on the challenge of making your own is a personal choice. Our advice is to think very hard and long about this project if you are a beginner astronomer and this is your first beginner telescope. It may be a better project for the intermediate and advanced astronomer, who understands the desired features and user skills which are beneficial as you build a usable telescope.

What Type of Telescope Should You Make?

Dobsonian telescopes are probably the easiest to make. The assembly process is well documented on the Internet, while the parts required are available at reasonable prices from the better telescope suppliers. The equipment necessary to build your homemade telescope includes:

Mirrors

Tubes

Lenses

Mounting System

Additional components may be required depending on the specific features and capabilities you wish to build into your new telescope.

A homemade telescope can be a challenging project, but we have found that those who take on this project seem to develop an even greater interest in astronomy. Perhaps it’s just the pride of viewing the heavens with your own telescope creation, or maybe the sense of participating in a hobby where you have created the required tools yourself. Regardless of the reason, you will certainly walk away from your telescope project with a better understanding of the mechanics of the modern telescope and how the components work together and how each part functions.