How To Make A Powerful Telescope At Home

If you're a budding astronomer, you'll be pleased to know you don't have to spend big bucks on a fancy telescope. Instead, you can make your own simple 9x magnification Galilean telescope at home. It's affordable yet powerful enough to see many of the wonders the sky has to offer. With a focus of 9x, this powerful homemade telescope lets you see features on the Earth's moon and Saturn's rings as a disk.

Purchase the lenses from a specialty supply store. Find cardboard telescoping mailing tubes in an office supply store.

1. Cut the Inner Tube

Remove the inner tube from the telescoping mailing tube. Using a coping saw, cut two pieces, approximately 2.5 to 4 centimeters, from the inner tube. This creates spacers to hold the objective lens.

2. Make an Eyehole

Use a drill or electrician's punch to make an eyehole in the center of the removable cap on the end of the outer tube. Apply light pressure for a smooth cut.

3. Make Inner Tube Holes

Drill small holes on the outside of the inner tube and place the flat end of the eyepiece lens next to the removable cap. Push the lens and cap into the outer tube. Insert glue into the holes and rotate the lens to spread the glue. Hold the tube against the lens until the glue sets and then place to one side.

4. Make Outer Tube Holes

Cut the closed end of the outer tube. Work out how far into the tube the lens and spacers should be, then drill small holes around this spot. Insert the first spacer and apply glue to the corresponding holes, moving it to spread it around. Apply pressure until the glue sets.

5. Insert Objective Lens

Insert the objective lens when the first spacer is dry, with the second spacer against it. Apply glue to the hole, spread it and apply pressure until it sets.

6. Insert Inner Tube

Slide the inner tube into the outer tube, then focus the telescope by sliding the tube as necessary. Establish your desired focusing distance, and then attach the two ends permanently with glue or tape.