Reflector Telescope Project

This blog will follow the process of researching, planning, and eventually constructing a Newtonian Reflector Telescope. Primarily, the blog is intended as a place for me to keep my own info, but I also hope it will help others to see that this is a project that can be done - even if you're starting where I did... which is to say right at the beginning. As with the progression of the stages, the blog will follow the same format. It will begin with an introduction to what a Newtonian telescope is, then it will break down the elements and discuss the construction in theory. From there it will progress into the collection and assembly of parts, until a finished telescope can be shown here.

I only barely understood how a reflector telescope worked, let alone how to build one. At the time of starting this blog, I only know a little more than that. However, what I have learned so far is that it is not only possible to make your own reflector telescope, it seems quite possible to do so for a reasonable amount of money.

The first thing I needed to know was the basics. What IS a Newtonian Telescope, and what makes it different from any other telescope? Well, I knew enough to understand that - being a "reflector" telescope - it had a mirror rather than a lens. The basic idea, in a nutshell:



Contrast this idea with the more commonly known Refraction (or "Refractor") Telescope:



The images above came from here.

As one might guess, it is called a Newtonian Telescope because of the fact that Sir Isaac Newton is credited with having been the first to turn one toward the stars. In fact, here is what his personal telescope looked like.



Pretty cool, huh?

Well, that's it for the very basics. Next entry I will go into learning more about specifics of how the thing works, rather than just the general idea. It's more than just putting a couple of mirrors inside a tube and looking through a hole after all. I'll be back with some links and discoveries I have made that - I hope - will elucidate things, and make this project come together.