How to Build Your Own Telescope

Nothing provides better satisfaction than gazing into the astronomical secrets of the vast sky with your own custom built telescope. Yes, you can try and build your own telescope and flaunt among your friends. Although the reflector telescopes of today have become quite inexpensive but still building your own telescope can best test your passion for the skies. In this article we shall know the process of building a reflector telescope. The things that are needed for this purpose are:

Hammer
Saw
Drill and bit set
Compass
Tape measure
Screwdriver
Nail set
Crescent wrench- adjustable
Awl
Hole cutter
Carpenter’s framing square

The method of making a reflector telescope is as given below:

Choose a work place where you shall be working and then place all the equipments that are essential during the making of the reflector telescope neatly along the wall. After doing so, you have to use plastic sheeting for covering the floor of your work area so that there is no damage caused. This will also simplify the cleaning task later. Take an extension cord and connect it from a separate wall outlet. This will help in providing electrical power to your tools. You have to keep the telescope eyepieces handy. These are the primary and secondary mirrors. Remember not to remove the large primary mirror from its package until needed. This mirror is prone to damage because of its thin layer of reflective metal.
You then have to calculate the f-stop needed for your telescope. After calculating it, apply it to the length of the sonotube. Make sure that the tube is cut to the precise focal length of the telescope. Now you have to build the mirror holder, mirror collimation adjustment frame and secondary mirror holder. The cardboard tube has to be drilled in and then the eyepiece holder tube has to be attached. After doing so, you have to glue the spider into the inside of the sonotube and then align it. You can paint the inside of the sonotube with non reflective black paint and allow it to dry.
The primary mirror has to be installed into the collimation holder and then fastened to the sonotube’s bottom end. You have to then align the primary mirror. This can be done by adjusting the collimation screws on the primary mirror’s holder until you notice that the round circle in the center of the primary mirror gets centered in the secondary mirror. This should be viewable through the eyepiece holder. A low power eyepiece has to be then inserted into the homemade eyepiece holder on the telescope. Position your telescope in daylight and then align the small finder scope to a distant object. Now by using this object as a reference, you have to perform a final primary mirror collimation. Make sure that you set up your telescope outside at least one hour before you use it. This makes the mirrors stabilize according to the outside temperature. Your reflective telescope is now ready!