Homemade spyglass. How to make a reliable and powerful telescope yourself at home

The spyglass has a long history. For tens of centuries, this object has made it possible to observe long-range objects. How many new geographical discoveries are due to this optical device! In the age of advanced technology, it has not lost its practical value. The specialized market offers in abundance all kinds of options for modern optical devices. You don't have to spend money on them. Below we will talk about how production takes place. spyglass at home.

Creative process

Before you begin, you need to purchase components for the future optical device. You will need:

• a pair of lenses;
• thick cardboard;
• epoxy resin or nitrocellulose-based glue;
• black matte dye;
• wooden template;
• polyethylene;
• scotch;
• scissors;
• ruler;
• brush for applying glue;
• simple pencil.

Making a telescope at home requires some preparation and understanding of the operating principles of this optical device. Like a factory one, a homemade tube consists of two or more mobile parts that regulate the distance between the lens and eyepiece. Adequate operation requires observance of the optical axis. Therefore, the retractable parts must fit snugly against each other.

Glasses for glasses can be used as lenses. Diopters should be varied. Choose a positive lens with a diameter of 5 cm and a value of 6 diopters. The diameter of a negative lens with a value of 21 diopters should not exceed 3 cm. You can use a long-focus lens from a camera that has outlived its age, or an old magnifying glass.

The positive lens is used as a peripheral lens, and the negative lens, called the eyepiece, is located closer to the eye. Instead of a negative lens, you can use a short-focus positive lens. But in this case, the length of the pipe should be increased, the image will be upside down.

To avoid the risk of fogging internal cavity, you should pay attention to the tightness of the pipe. It is not recommended to get carried away with large magnifications. In a homemade optical device, powerful lenses can significantly reduce image quality.

Algorithm of actions

Let's sum it up! A do-it-yourself spyglass and its manufacture require a lot of perseverance and even more accuracy. With some effort, you can create a beautiful and useful optical device that will not only serve you well, but will bring true satisfaction!

If, however, make spotting scope If you didn’t succeed on your own, we recommend going to the section and choosing the appropriate model.

Let's find out the focal length we need. To do this, let's shine light on the lens by placing a piece of paper behind it. Now slowly move the sheet away until the light source is displayed on it. We measure the distance between the leaf and the lens. In this way, from all the lenses found in the house, you must choose the one with the largest distance and the one with the smallest. The first will be the lens, and the last will be the eyepiece.

Step 2

We take the eyepiece with our right hand, our lens with our left hand and carefully examine some object through them, bringing them closer and apart until the object becomes clear. We measure the resulting length.

Step 3

Step 4

Now let's assemble these lenses into a telescope. Take two sheets of thicker paper and paint one side black. Fold it so that the black one is on the inside. We insert the lens into the first tube, and our eyepiece and wrapping lens into the other. We attach them to the paper with plasticine or superglue. We push the pipes into one another so that they fit quite firmly. If necessary, you can secure it with tape.

It's safe to say that everyone has dreamed of taking a closer look at the stars. You can use binoculars or a spotting scope to admire the bright night sky, but you are unlikely to be able to see anything in detail through these devices. Here you will need more serious equipment - a telescope. To have such a miracle of optical technology at home, you need to pay a large sum, which not all lovers of beauty can afford. But don't despair. You can make a telescope with your own hands, and for this, no matter how absurd it may sound, you don’t have to be a great astronomer and designer. If only there was a desire and an irresistible craving for the unknown.

Why should you try making a telescope?

We can definitely say that astronomy is a very complex science. And it requires a lot of effort from the person doing it. A situation may occur that you purchase an expensive telescope, and the science of the Universe will disappoint you, or you simply realize that this is not your thing at all.

In order to figure out what’s what, it’s enough to make a telescope for an amateur. Observing the sky through such a device will allow you to see many times more than through binoculars, and you will also be able to figure out whether this activity is interesting to you. If you are passionate about studying the night sky, then, of course, you cannot do without a professional apparatus.

What can you see with a homemade telescope?

Descriptions of how to make a telescope can be found in many textbooks and books. Such a device will allow you to clearly see the lunar craters. With it you can see Jupiter and even make out its four main satellites. The rings of Saturn, familiar to us from the pages of textbooks, can also be seen using a telescope made by ourselves. In addition, many more celestial bodies can be seen with your own eyes, for example, Venus, large number stars, clusters, nebulae.

A little about the telescope design

The main parts of our unit are its lens and eyepiece. With the help of the first part, the light emitted by celestial bodies is collected. How distant bodies can be seen, as well as the magnification of the device, depends on the diameter of the lens. The second member of the tandem, the eyepiece, is designed to enlarge the resulting image so that our eye can admire the beauty of the stars.

Now about the two most common types of optical devices - refractors and reflectors. The first type has a lens made of a lens system, and the second has a mirror lens. Lenses for a telescope, unlike a reflector mirror, can be found quite easily in specialized stores. Buying a mirror for a reflector will not be cheap, and making one yourself will be impossible for many. Therefore, as has already become clear, we will be assembling a refractor, and not a reflecting telescope. Let's finish the theoretical excursion with the concept of telescope magnification. It is equal to the ratio of the focal lengths of the lens and eyepiece.

How to make a telescope? We select materials

In order to start assembling the device, you need to stock up on a 1-diopter lens or its blank. By the way, such a lens will have a focal length of one meter. The diameter of the blanks will be about seventy millimeters. It should also be noted that it is better not to choose spectacle lenses for a telescope, since they generally have a concave-convex shape and are poorly suited for a telescope, although if you have them on hand, you can use them. It is recommended to use long-focal lenses with a biconvex shape.

As an eyepiece you can take an ordinary magnifying glass thirty millimeter diameter. If it is possible to get an eyepiece from the microscope, then it is certainly worth taking advantage of. It is also perfect for a telescope.

What should we make the housing for our future optical assistant from? Two pipes of different diameters made of cardboard or thick paper are perfect. One (the shorter one) will be inserted into the second, with a larger diameter and longer. A pipe with a smaller diameter should be made twenty centimeters long - this will ultimately be the eyepiece unit, and it is recommended to make the main one a meter long. If you don’t have the necessary blanks at hand, it doesn’t matter, the body can be made from an unnecessary roll of wallpaper. To do this, the wallpaper is wound in several layers to create the required thickness and rigidity and glued. How to make the diameter of the inner tube depends on what kind of lens we use.

Telescope stand

Very important point in creating your own telescope - preparing a special stand for it. Without it, it will be almost impossible to use it. There is an option to install the telescope on a camera tripod, which is equipped with a moving head, as well as fasteners that allow you to fix various provisions housings.

Telescope assembly

The lens for the lens is fixed in a small tube with its convex outward. It is recommended to fasten it using a frame, which is a ring similar in diameter to the lens itself. Directly behind the lens, further along the pipe, it is necessary to equip a diaphragm in the form of a disk with a thirty-millimeter hole exactly in the middle. The purpose of the aperture is to eliminate image distortion caused by the use of a single lens. Also, installing it will affect the reduction of light that the lens receives. The telescope lens itself is mounted near the main tube.

Naturally, the eyepiece assembly cannot do without the eyepiece itself. First you need to prepare fastenings for it. They are made in the form of a cardboard cylinder and are similar in diameter to an eyepiece. The fastening is installed inside the pipe using two disks. They are the same diameter as the cylinder and have holes in the middle.

Setting up the device at home

The image must be focused using the distance from the lens to the eyepiece. To do this, the eyepiece assembly moves in the main tube. Since the pipes must be well pressed together, the required position will be securely fixed. It is convenient to perform the tuning process on large bright bodies, for example, the Moon; a neighboring house will also work. When assembling, it is very important to ensure that the lens and eyepiece are parallel and their centers are on the same straight line.

Another way to make a telescope with your own hands is to change the size of the aperture. By varying its diameter, you can achieve the optimal picture. Using optical lenses 0.6 diopters, which have a focal length of approximately two meters, you can increase the aperture and make the zoom on our telescope much larger, but you should understand that the body will also increase.

Watch out - Sun!

By the standards of the Universe, our Sun is far from the most bright star. However, for us it is very important source life. Naturally, having a telescope at their disposal, many will want to take a closer look at it. But you need to know that this is very dangerous. After all sunlight, passing through the optical systems we have built, can focus to such an extent that it will be able to burn through even thick paper. What can we say about the delicate retina of our eyes?

Therefore, you need to remember very important rule: you cannot look at the Sun through zooming devices, especially through a home telescope, without special means protection. Such means are considered to be light filters and a method of projecting an image onto a screen.

What if you couldn’t assemble a telescope with your own hands, but you really want to look at the stars?

If suddenly for some reason the assembly homemade telescope is impossible, then do not despair. You can find a telescope in a store for a reasonable price. The question immediately arises: “Where are they sold?” Such equipment can be found in specialized astro-device stores. If there is nothing like this in your city, then you should visit a photographic equipment store or find another store that sells telescopes.

If you are lucky - there is a specialized store in your city, and even with professional consultants, then this is definitely the place for you. Before going, it is recommended to look at an overview of telescopes. First, you will understand the characteristics of optical devices. Secondly, it will be more difficult to deceive and slip you poor quality product. Then you will definitely not be disappointed in your purchase.

A few words about buying a telescope through the World Wide Web. This type of shopping is becoming very popular nowadays, and it is possible that you will use it. It’s very convenient: you look for the device you need, and then order it. However, you may come across the following nuisance: after a long selection, it may turn out that the product is no longer in stock. Much more unpleasant problem- This is the delivery of goods. It is no secret that a telescope is a very fragile thing, so only fragments can be delivered to you.

It is possible to purchase a telescope by hand. This option will allow you to save a lot of money, but you should be well prepared so as not to buy a broken item. A good place to find a potential seller is astronomer forums.

Price per telescope

Let's look at some price categories:

About five thousand rubles. Such a device will correspond to the characteristics of a telescope made with your own hands at home.

Up to ten thousand rubles. This device will certainly be more suitable for high-quality observation of the night sky. Mechanical part housings and equipment will be very meager, and you may have to spend money on some spare parts: eyepieces, filters, etc.

From twenty to one hundred thousand rubles. This category includes professional and semi-professional telescopes. Surely a beginner will have no need for a mirror camera with an astronomical cost. This is simply, as they say, a waste of money.

Conclusion

As a result, we met important information about how to make a simple telescope with your own hands, and some nuances of buying a new device for observing the stars. In addition to the method that we have considered, there are others, but this is a topic for another article. Whether you've built a telescope at home or purchased a new one, astronomy will take you into the unknown and provide experiences you've never experienced before.

Do you suddenly want to make a telescope with your own hands? Nothing strange. Yes, nowadays it is not difficult to buy almost any optical device, and not so expensive. But sometimes a person is attacked by a thirst for creativity: he wants to figure out what laws of nature the principle of operation of a device is based on, he wants to design such a device from start to finish and experience the joy of creativity.

DIY spyglass

So, you get down to business. First of all, you will learn that the simplest telescope consists of two biconvex lenses - the objective and the eyepiece, and that the magnification of the telescope is obtained by the formula K = F / f (the ratio of the focal lengths of the lens (F) and the eyepiece (f)).

Armed with this knowledge, you go digging through boxes of various junk, in the attic, garage, shed, etc. with a clearly defined goal - to find more different lenses. These could be glasses from glasses (preferably round ones), watch magnifiers, lenses from old cameras, etc. Having collected a supply of lenses, start measuring. You need to choose a lens with a larger focal length F and an eyepiece with a smaller focal length f.

Measuring focal length is very simple. The lens is directed at some light source (a light bulb in the room, a lantern on the street, the sun in the sky or just a lit window), a white screen is placed behind the lens (a sheet of paper is possible, but cardboard is better) and moves relative to the lens until It will not produce a sharp image of the observed light source (inverted and reduced).

After this, all that remains is to measure the distance from the lens to the screen with a ruler. This is the focal length. You are unlikely to cope with the described measurement procedure alone - you will need a third hand. You'll have to call an assistant for help.

Having selected a lens and eyepiece, you begin to design an optical system for magnifying the image. You take the lens in one hand, the eyepiece in the other, and through both lenses you look at some distant object (not the sun - you can easily be left without an eye!). By mutually moving the lens and eyepiece (trying to keep their axes on the same line), you achieve a clear image.

The resulting image will be enlarged, but still upside down. What you are now holding in your hands, trying to maintain the achieved relative position of the lenses, is the desired optical system. All that remains is to fix this system, for example, by placing it inside a pipe. This will be the spyglass.

But don't rush into assembly. Having made a telescope, you will not be satisfied with the image “upside down”. This problem is solved simply by a wrapping system obtained by adding one or two lenses identical to the eyepiece.

You can obtain a wraparound system with one coaxial additional lens by placing it at a distance of approximately 2f from the eyepiece (the distance is determined by selection).

It is interesting to note that with this version of the reversing system, it is possible to obtain greater magnification by smoothly moving the additional lens away from the eyepiece. However, you won’t be able to get a strong magnification if you don’t have a very high-quality lens (for example, glass from glasses). The phenomenon of so-called “chromatic aberration” interferes, when the image is painted in rainbow shades.

This problem is solved in “purchased” optics by composing a lens from several lenses with different refractive indices. But you don’t care about these details: your task is to understand the circuit diagram of the device and build the simplest working model using this circuit (without spending a penny).

You can obtain a wraparound system with two coaxial additional lenses by positioning them so that the eyepiece and these two lenses are spaced from each other at equal distances f.

Now you can imagine the telescope diagram and know focal lengths lenses, so start assembling optical device. The simplest thing is to twist pipes (tubes) from sheets of whatman paper, securing them with rubber bands “for money”, and fix the lenses inside the tubes with plasticine. The inside of the pipes must be painted with matte black paint to prevent external exposure.

The result seems to be something primitive, but as a zero option it is very convenient: it’s easy to redo, change something. When this zero option exists, it can be improved for as long as desired (at least replace the Whatman paper with more decent material).