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Many amateur astronomers make their own instruments, either because of financial considerations or because they are just interested. Amateur Telescope Making offers a variety of designs for telescopes, mounts and drives which are suitable for the home-constructor. The designs range from simple to advanced, but all are within the range of a moderately well-equipped home workshop. The book not only tells the reader what he can construct, but also what it is sensible to construct given what time is available commercially. Thus each chapter begins with reasons for undertaking the project, then looks at theoretical consideration before finishing with practical instructions and advice. An indication is given as to the skills required for the various projects. Appendices list reputable sources of (mail order) materials and components. The telescopes and mounts range from "shoestring" (very cheap) instruments to specialist devices that are unavailable commercially.
List of contents
I Shoestring Telescopes.- 1 A 6-inch f/5 Telescope.- 2 "Skinflint": A 15.5-inch f/4.8 Reflector.- 3 An 80 mm RFT Refractor.- II Specialised Telescopes.- 4 Building A High-Contrast Planetary Newtonian.- 5 A Collapsible Refractor.- 6 The Construction of a Buchroeder Quad-Shiefspiegler.- 7 A Wright Camera.- 8 A Ball-Scope: The Best Portable Telescope!.- III Mounts.- 9 Equatorial Platforms.- 10 A Computerized Dobsonian.- 11 Parallelogram Binocular Mount.- IV Astrophotography.- 12 A Better Barn Door.- 13 "Skypod": A Simple Sky-Tracker for Astrophotography.- 14 Building and Using a Cookbook CCD Camera.- 15 A Telescope Controller for Synchronous Motors.- V Appendices.- Appendix 1: Internet Resources.- Appendix 2: Contributors.- Appendix 3: References.- Appendix 4: Bibliography.
Report
From the reviews
"... Stephen Tonkin (has) added a worthy contribution to the collective wisdom of amateur astronomy ...."
SKY & TELESCOPE
SKY & TELESCOPE
"...Tonkin has assembled a potpourri of excellent do-it-yourself projects, ranging from small refractors and simple rich-field telescopes to large instruments with tilted-component optics and a high-performance, home-built, computer-controlled telescope...will appeal strongly to mid-level amateur astronomers, whether they are equipment buyers or builders. Novices should find much to marvel at, and advanced amateurs will appreciate the useful and timely insights into the current technology of telescopes and sensors...[a] worthy addition to the ever-growing literature of telescopes and telescope making."
REVIEWS OF ASTRONOMICAL TOOLS
"The book is a nice collection of interesting ideas on telescopes and accessories for the do-it-yourself astronomer."
NEW SCIENTIST
"For advice on how to get going, look no further than two excellent books - AMATEUR TELESCOPE MAKING and ASTRONOMICAL EQUIPMENT FOR AMATEURS...Highly recommended."
