method of making a telescope
Post on 05-Jan-2016
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Method 1 of 2: Making a Telescope with Magnifying Glasses
1.
1Gather your materials. You'll need a piece of corrugated paper that is about 24 inches
in length (this is a ridge material, easily available from paper stores or craft stores).
You'll need two magnifying glasses that are the same size. You will also need strong
glue, scissors, and a pencil.[1]
If the magnifying glasses aren't the same size, the telescope won't work.
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2. 2
Hold one magnifying glass (the bigger one) between you and the paper. The
image of the print will look blurry. Place the second magnifying glass between your eye
and the first magnifying glass.
3. 3
Move the second glass forward or backward until the print comes into sharp
focus. You will notice that the print appears larger and upside down.
4.
4Wrap the paper around one of the magnifying glasses. Mark the diameter on the
paper with the pencil. Make sure that it is pulled tight.
5. 5
Measure along the edge of the paper from the first mark. You will need to measure
about 1 1/2 inches from the mark. This will create the extra length to glue around the
magnifying glass.
6. 6
Cut down the marked line on the paper to the other side. You should be cutting
across the width of it (don't cut lengthwise). The paper should be about 24 inches in
length on one side. Cut a slot in the cardboard tube near the front opening about an
inch (2.5 cm) away. Do not cut all the way through the tube. The slot should be able to
hold the large magnifying glass.
7. 7
Cut a second slot in the tube the same distance from the first slot as was written
down between the two glasses. This is where the second magnifying glass will go.
You should now have two lengths of corrugated paper. One piece should be slightly
larger than the other.
8. 8
Place the two magnifying glasses in their slots (big one at front, little one at back)
and tape them in with the duct tape. Leave about 0.5 - 1 inch (1 - 2 cm) of tube
behind the small magnifying glass and cut off any excess tube remaining.
9.
9Glue first length of paper around one of the magnifying glasses. You'll need to glue
the edges of the paper together as well, since you've left about 1 1/2 inches of paper.
10. 10
Make the second magnifying glass tube. This one will need to be slightly bigger than
the first one. Not too much bigger, only so that the first will fit into the second one.
11.
11
Slot the 1st tube into the 2nd. You can now use this telescope for looking at things
farther away, although it will be difficult to view the stars clearly. This type of telescope
is really good for viewing the moon.[2]
The images will be upside down, since astronomers don't care about up and down in
space (there is no up or down in space, after all).
Method 2 of 2: Making a Telescope with Lenses
1. 1
Gather materials. You'll need two lenses, a mailing tube that has an inside tube and an
outside tube (you can get this at the post office or office supply store; it should have a
diameter of 2 inches and a length of 43.3 inches), a coping saw, a box cutter, some
strong glue and a drill.[3]
Lenses should be a different focal length. For best results get a concave-convex lens
with a diameter of 49 mm, and a focal length of 1,350 mm and a plano-concave lens
with a diameter of 49 mm, and a focal length of 152 mm.
It's very easy to order lenses off the internet and they aren't very expensive. You can
get the pair of lenses for about $16.
The coping saw is the most effective for making clean, straight lines, but you can use
any other kind of saw or cutting device if you need to.
2. 2
Cut the outer tube in half. You'll need both sections, but the inner tube will act to
space them out. The lenses will go in either section of the outer tube.
3. 3
Cut 2 pieces from the inner tube of the mailing tube. These will be your spacers and
they should be about 1 to 1.5 inches in diameter. Make sure you cut clean and straight
with the coping saw (or other tool).[4]
The spacers hold the second lens in place at the end of the outer section of the mailing
tube.
4. 4
Make eye-hole in mailing tube cap. Use the drill to apply light pressure to the middle
of the cap to create your eye hole. Again, this will need to be as smooth and as clean as
possible to create the best viewing results.
5. 5
Drill holes on the outside of the large tube. You'll need to make the holes where the
lens is going to be placed in the outer tube, because the holes allow you to put glue into
the inner part of the tube. Near the end of the inner tube is the best place, about an inch
in.
You'll also need to the make holes at the end of the outer tube for the eyepiece and the
cap.
6. 6
Glue eyepiece lens against removable cap. The eyepiece lens is the plano-concave
lens and the flat side needs to be against the cap. You'll glue through the holes you
made and turn the lens to spread the glue. Press tube against lens until the glue is dry.
7. 7
Cut off closed end of outer tube. You'll end up sticking the inner tube into the outer
tube through this hole.
8. 8
Insert first spacer into outer tube. The spacer will need to lie flat on the inside of the
outer tube to hold the concave-convex lens in place. You'll need to drill the holes and
put the glue in like you did with the eyepiece.
9. 9
Insert lens and second spacer. You'll need to make the holes, put the glue in and
spread it around. Press firmly until the glue has dried.
10. 10
Insert inner tube into outer tube. You can slide the pieces as necessary to get the
right focus. Since this is about 9x you should be able to see the moon's surface really
well and even Saturn's rings. Anything else will be too far away for your telescope.
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