The Basics Of Amateur Telescope Making

The creation and usage of telescopes have came a long way since the initial inception of the instrument in the 17th century. Developed in the Netherlands, the telescope was further modified by various European inventors such as Isaac Newton, whose 'Newtonian Reflector' was built in 1668.

Ever since the first telescopic examples, amateur astronomers have been involved in the creation of their own devices as an economical alternative to the purchase of a professionally built and expensive instrument. These amateur telescope makers, or ATM's, usually fall under the umbrella of amateur astronomers, whose involvement with the subject lies at a hobbyist level rather than a professional one.

Despite the common interest in amateur telescope making since the early 1600s, it has been in the 20th century that the tendency toward ATM has really came to prominence. In the 1920s the subject became the stimulus for a trilogy of books entitled Amateur Telescope Making by Albert Ingalls.

The hobby gained a growing level of followers as the century progressed, benefiting from the excess telescope detritus left over from World War II, the Sputnik Space Programme, and the space race between the USA and the Soviet Union.

There are a variety of telescope types which can be made with relative ease amongst ATM's. They include a basic form of the Newtonian Reflector, Schmidt Cassegrains, and Maksutovs. ATM trends today demonstrate that the Newtonian Reflector is the most popular design. It's economy of material and the relatively short length of time needed to create it makes the Isaac Newton Design am efficient option for the average ATM.

One of the most important components of the Newtonian Reflector is the primary mirror, which has to be carefully ground and polished to a specific shape, most commonly a paraboloid – or an oval cup shape for us non-mathematicians.

The intricacy of the telescope design depends upon the purpose for which the device is being made. Even among amateurs, there are a variety of focal points including, deep sky observation, lunar observation, solar observation, and astrophotography.