Telescope Construction

Telescopes aren't just crummy little junkers you can buy online for $19.95 plus shipping or humongous installations that look like they could shoot down attacking aliens.  If you have even mediocre dexterity and the patience of an average 12-year-old, you can probably build your own telescope.  This being Silicon Valley, the very Mecca of modern geeks, there are people around here who will help you do it, too.

Most places that belong to the build-your-own school of telescope thought build something called a Dobsonian (or just a "Dob"), or a close relative of it.  The Dobsonian telescope is named after its inventor, John Dobson.  He refers to it more modestly as a "sidewalk telescope", based on his habit of setting it up on sidewalks and offering passers-by the chance to look through it.  (Yes, at stars.  Geez, what kind of site do you think we're running here?)

In a really strict sense, Dobson didn't invent the telescope that bears his name so much as he invented the mount, that is, the part that lets you aim the telescope accurately and hold it steady.  The optical part of the telescope was not all that unique.  However, he also developed a do-it-yourself method for producing the optical part of the telescope.  All of this leads to some disagreements over the proper names.  Some people use the term Dobsonian to refer to the entire telescope.  Others use it only to refer to the mount, and identify the telescope according to the optics inside (most telescopes on Dobsonian mounts use Newtonian optics).  Since John Dobson himself seems more interested in getting people to look at the stars than in what to call everything, the best advice probably is not to worry about it too much.  Just be aware that you may get conflicting terminology from time to time.

Name issues aside, the Dobsonian is an elegantly simple design that can be built by almost anyone, and it's made mostly from hardware store parts.  For about $300 in materials and 80 hours of labor, you can build a reflecting telescope with a diameter of about 8 inches, with good quality optics and a stable mount.  You may pay something for training and advice, or you may not (a lot of instructors are volunteers), but it will almost certainly be a lot less than the cost of your materials.

Come on, you know you want to build one.  Experience the majesty of the cosmos.  Impress your family.  Amaze your friends.  Entertain small children.  Scare your neighbors. ("So... uh... what IS that thing in your back yard?"  "It's my mind control laser.  Between that and the army of battle-bots I'm making from Lego Mindstorms, I'm going to take over the world.  By the way, you might want to stay home from work on Tuesday.")

Chabot Space & Science Center

Description:  Not primarily a school, but in addition to museum exhibits, an observatory, and a planetarium, it offers classes in building your own Dobsonian.  Materials cost for an 8" telescope is estimated at $300.  There is no tuition or other charge. 

Web Site:  http://www.chabotspace.org/

Location:  10000 Skyline Blvd, Oakland, CA

Drive Time from Ames (per Google maps):  52 minutes; up to 1 hour 10 minutes in traffic 

Public Transit: 

Hours:  Telescope construction is Friday from 7 PM to 10 PM.  Museum hours are 10 AM to 5 PM Wed & Thu, 10 AM to 10 PM Fri & Sat, and 11 AM to 5 PM Sun.

Randall Museum

Description:  Also not primarily a school, but it also offers classes in building your own Dobsonian.  Materials cost for an 8" telescope is estimated at $300.  There is a tuition charge of $120. 

Web Site:  http://www.randallmuseum.org/

Location:  199 Museum Way, San Francisco, CA

Drive Time from Ames (per Yahoo!):  50 minutes (for whatever reason, Google maps cannot plot directions to the Randall)

Public Transit: 

Hours:  Varies.  The museum holds a telescope class periodically, but the days and times can vary from season to season.  Check the web site for details.