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mark cowan
Vendor (Obsidian Optics)
Reged: 06/03/05
Posts: 1369
Loc: salem, OR
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Re: Wondering what I would need?
07/03/08 12:10 AM
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Welcome to CN!
If you only want to make one 'scope and you want decent aperture under 8' in length I'd suggest something like a 12.5" f/6-f/7. This will provide an incredible planetary telescope with lots of deep-sky ability and it can be supported on a bog-standard Dobsonian mount which can be tossed together in a weekend and a half made with stuff you can scrounge and/or buy at the hardware store. With a good portion of high-quality field available and no need for correcting it further, you can hang a webcam camera on it for "lucky imaging", or a DSLR for deep sky if you put it on an equatorial platform.
Parabolization isn't so time consuming that you couldn't stand the inevitable need to start again a time or two, which will happen if you're picky or you haven't got access to a class or somebody local who knows how to do it. Hands on is very helpful.
In the class I took years ago by John Dobson (maybe you've heard of him?) there were several people who did 12.5" as the first mirror, amongst a lot of 8s, 10s, and one 6". Those mirrors looked HUGE at the time, but they got along fine.
The point is the class ran twice a week for a month, and almost everybody had a finished telescope - mirror, mount, and all - built by the end of it. The mirror should take about 1 hr/inch to grind out and about the same to polish decently enough to make you happy.  Figuring, OTOH, always takes slightly longer than you can stand, but you can always quit once you think it's probably good enough...
After you get it sort of working you'll be hooked and that will provide the motivation for making a really good one - or improving the first. Home built telescopes are never really finished.
Best,
Mark
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