Has anyone made a reflection telescope? Please share your experience.
I and some friends in my club tried making one.
This is a handmade 4" (10 cm) reflector .I thing it's better than 60mm (700mm length) MEADE refractor.
Now I'm grinding a 15cm(~6in) mirror for a bigger one
a myfriend have just finished,but because of cloudy sky in VietNam (rain and rain) we can't see any star for testing.( seem very good when see something :tree...)
Make a Reflection Telescope
- fairydream81
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Make a Reflection Telescope
Hochiminh City Amateur Astronomy Club (HAAC)
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- Airconvent
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I made a few:Has anyone made a reflection telescope? Please share your experience.
http://www.singastro.org/viewtopic.php?t=1834 (with kayheem)
http://www.singastro.org/viewtopic.php?t=3352
I never grinded a mirror though, so you're more advanced!
Here is my 2 cents.
Assemble a telescope from ready made optic is much easier and maybe cheaper too. While grinding your own mirror feels more satisfying, it is not really easy to do. Raw materials aren't readily available. Polishing and figuring a mirror blank into a good mirror requires lots of patience and guidance for first timer.
A 6" mirror can be done in about a month, while an 8" one will take you twice as long. Even if you have done your job perfectly, you still need to send your mirror for coating. Cost of coating itself will be more expensive than buying a finished mirror especially for small 6" or 8" mirror.
I can supply those interested with all the necessary optics and parts. You'll need to make the mount and assembly. Half the fun of doing everything yourself but still save you a lot of heartache.
BTW, my 14.5" mirror is still at the final stage of figuring. The last time I work on it was two years ago, before my test equipment broke down. Hopefully, I'll start to work on it soon once I am hit with "mirror making fever".
Assemble a telescope from ready made optic is much easier and maybe cheaper too. While grinding your own mirror feels more satisfying, it is not really easy to do. Raw materials aren't readily available. Polishing and figuring a mirror blank into a good mirror requires lots of patience and guidance for first timer.
A 6" mirror can be done in about a month, while an 8" one will take you twice as long. Even if you have done your job perfectly, you still need to send your mirror for coating. Cost of coating itself will be more expensive than buying a finished mirror especially for small 6" or 8" mirror.
I can supply those interested with all the necessary optics and parts. You'll need to make the mount and assembly. Half the fun of doing everything yourself but still save you a lot of heartache.
BTW, my 14.5" mirror is still at the final stage of figuring. The last time I work on it was two years ago, before my test equipment broke down. Hopefully, I'll start to work on it soon once I am hit with "mirror making fever".
I see.. it's really challenging. By the way, where can I get a 6" parabolic mirror? Do I need spherical mirror or parabolic mirror to make newtonian telescope? I need a secondary mirror as well. Perseid will be the source?
Clear skies,
Robin.
Cyclops Optics - QHYCCD, William Optics, Televue, STC & Optolong filters
Free shipping for purchases above SG$250
Robin.
Cyclops Optics - QHYCCD, William Optics, Televue, STC & Optolong filters
Free shipping for purchases above SG$250
- weixing
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Hi,
Have a nice day.
If you are making a "fast" scope... may be below F8, you need a parabolic mirror. If you are making a "lower" scope... F8 or slower, spherical mirror is good enough. Anyway, I think perseid do sell a 6" F8 primary mirror and secondary mirror, but I'm not sure whether it is parabolic or spherical mirror.I see.. it's really challenging. By the way, where can I get a 6" parabolic mirror? Do I need spherical mirror or parabolic mirror to make newtonian telescope? I need a secondary mirror as well. Perseid will be the source?
Have a nice day.
Yang Weixing
"The universe is composed mainly of hydrogen and ignorance."
"The universe is composed mainly of hydrogen and ignorance."