Amateur Telescope Making - Telescope Design

Telescope Design

The telescopes amateur telescope makers build range from backyard variety to sophisticated instruments that make meaningful contributions to the field of astronomy. Instruments built by amateurs have been employed in planetary study, astrometry, photometry, comet and asteroid discovery to name just a few. Even the “hobbyist” end of the field can break down into several distinct categories such as: observing deep sky objects, observing the planets, solar observing, lunar observation, and astrophotography of all those class of objects. Therefore the design, size, and construction of the telescopes vary as well. Some amateur telescope makers build instruments that, while looking crude, are wholly suited to the purpose they are designed for. Others may strive for a more aesthetic look with high levels of mechanical “finish”. Since some amateur telescope makers do not have access to high-precision machining equipment, many elegant designs such as the Poncet Platform, Crayford focuser, and the Dobsonian telescope have evolved, which achieve functionality and stability without requiring precision machining.

The difficulty of construction is another factor in an amateur’s choice of project. For a given design the difficulty of construction grows roughly as the square of the diameter of the objective. For example a Newtonian telescope of 4 inches (100 mm) aperture is a moderately easy science fair project. A 6-to-8-inch (150 to 200 mm) Newtonian is considered a good compromise size since construction is not difficult and results in an instrument that would be expensive to purchase commercially. A 12-to-16-inch (300 to 410 mm) reflecting telescope is difficult, but still within the ability of the average amateur who has had experience building smaller instruments. Amateurs have constructed telescopes as large as 1 metre (39 in) across, but usually small groups or astronomy clubs take on such projects.