Student Telescope Making Program

**** TELESCOPE KITS SOLD OUT****

All telescope kits have been sold.

TMSP will again host the Student Telescope Making Program at this year's Star Party.  You can sign up for the class and build your own 5" f/8 telescope.  The optical tubes and the Dobsonian mounts will be assembled in the class.  We ask that any student participant have at least one adult helper, and the list of "things you may want to bring" will be emailed to each participant.

The class will be approximately two hours on both Thursday and Friday, from 10:00am to noon each day. You may sign up to build your scope either day, and more time will be scheduled if needed for everyone to complete their kit.  We will have some exterior paint available to paint the mounts, but if you want a specific color you may want to bring a quart of exterior paint of your choice.

The cost of the class, including the telescope is $135.  If you are interested please send email to scopekit@tmspa.com.  We will get in touch with you as to the availability of the kits, arrange payment and send you more details.

Included in each kit is:

• 5" f/8 optical tube assembly
  
  
• Finder Scope
  
  
• 1.25" focuser
  
  
• 25mm and 9mm Eyepieces
  
  
• Birch wood for mount
  
  
• All of the parts needed to assemble the mount on site.

Some items you might find useful to bring along to help you in the project are:

• Brush(s) to paint with
  
  
• Clothing to wear while painting
  
  
• 1 or 2 sheets of medium and/or fine grit sandpaper
  
  
• Battery powered screw gun (Cordless Drill with #1 Phillips bit)

These are not required, however you might find them handy for you to use.

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Some Q&A

Q: Will I be able to use this telescope at the Star Party?

A: YES!  The end goal of the first class on Thursday is to have a functional scope that you can use that night.

 

Q: Will I have to cut any wood?  Do I need to use power tools?

A: All the pieces for the telescope are pre-fabricated.  The parts for the base will be prepared ahead of time, and on the mountain there will be the (ever dreaded) "some assembly required."

 

Q: Will I need to provide any parts to be able to use the telescope?

A: No, the kit will yield a ready-to-use telescope when completed. A basic set of Meade 9mm and 25mm eyepieces will be included with the kit this year.

 

Q: What if I've never had a telescope before, will you show me how to use it?

A: YES! Another goal of the class is to help the participants understand the basic principles of how a reflecting telescope works.  The second day of the class there will be instruction on the care for the scope and how to collimate it for the best performance.

 

If you have any further questions, please send them to scopekit@tmspa.com and we will reply along with posting answers to this page.