How Do You Build A Simple Reflecting Telescope?
A good reflecting telescope can be expensive to buy. The cheapest reflectors cost hundreds of dollars, and it is easy to spend thousands of dollars on high-quality models. A cheaper alternative is to build your own reflecting telescope. Using materials mostly available at a hardware store and spending less than $200, you can build a Newtonian telescope. This classic telescope, first developed by Isaac Newton hundreds of years ago, offers both a simple design and impressive views of the night sky. Choose a concave mirror. All parts of the telescope will depend on your concave mirror. Larger mirrors collect more light, but smaller mirrors are easier to work with and do not need to be as perfect. Find the concave mirror’s focal length. The focal length is equal to half of the mirror’s radius of curvature. Most commercial mirrors list the focal length on the mirror’s packaging. Determine the tube size you need. The diameter needs to be the right size to accommodate the concave mirror secur
