Passionate about telescopes or just beginning your journey into astronomy?
The Telescope Nerd website is all about telescopes and astronomy and all about helping you discover and enjoy this ancient and most fascinating art and science.
The telescope pictured at left is the Meade Advanced Coma Free Telescope 10 inch LX90-ACF (f/10) w/UHTC
NEWSFLASH: Orion is coming out with a new line of telescopes: They are Truss Tube Dobsonians, and get this, they are 36", 40", and 50" in size!! Hard to believe but true. They call this the Monster Line of Telescopes and they are making me drool! I have more information about them here: The New Orion Monster Telescopes
Project tutorial: How to make a small refractor telescope. I show you everything and explain lens selection. How to make a small telescope
New Project Started - I have started a new project. It is an eight inch reflector telescope that I will be building. I found a mirror on ebay and have purchased it. This is going to be a really fun project and you can follow along and learn about telescope making. Making an eight Inch Reflector Telescope
Here is an interesting quote by Johann Kepler in his book "The Dioptrice": "O, telescope, instrument of much knowledge, more precious than any sceptre! Is not he who holds thee in his hand made king and lord of the works of God? "
Want to Make a small and inexpensive telescope? Here is a nice kit available on amazon.com
I Made My TELESCOPE
New Articles about telescopes
- I take a look at some popular 4.5 inch telescopes. If you want to start out in astronomy with a small scope that will still perform reasonably without breaking the bank a 4.5 inch might be right for you. I take a look at several different brands at this size. 4.5 inch telescopes
- Johannes Kepler -Mathematician, astronomer and Optician. He invented a type of telescope and changed how we view the orbit of planets around the sun.
- Book Review: Making & Enjoying telescopes - This is a relatively new book that has six different projects for you to make.
- How fast is your telescope? An explanation of the f ratio and why its important
- Why is it so hard to point and move my telescope? Explained
- I take a look at five telescope making books that I own. If you want to make a telescope I explain which book covers what from mirror grinding to mount making.
- The Telescope is now older than we thought! New evidence shows telescope as being around before we thought they were invented by Lippershey in 1608.
- How Sir Isaac Newtons Telescope Changed the World - He didn't discover any new planets with his telescope but he did change our view of the world with it.
- Huygens and the biggest telescopes of the 17th Century - His understanding of optics allowed him to improve on galileos telescope but it meant his telescopes were very long - as long as 120 feet!
News: August 7, 2009 - We have just begun a new Meteor Shower called the Perseids. This yearly shower of shooting stars can sometimes be very spectacular with a rate of up to 60 an hour and they last from around August 8th through around August 14th with the peak being expected around August 11-12 for this year. So if you get a chance to get out and take a look point yourself toward the constellation of Perseus. And if you have trouble finding Perseus it probably doesn't matter because at an estimated rate of 1 per minute you are going to easily see this shower. Hopefully the skies will be clear for you! There are a wide variety of Meteor Showers that occur year round. I have a chart of what they are and when they happen here: Meteor Showers throughout the year
New: August 29, 08 How to take great star photos without a telescope. This tutorial shows you tips and tricks for using a 35mm camera to take great star Photos. How to take Star Photos and Star Trail Pictures without a Telescope
How to enjoy the night sky without a telescope. This is an article I have written that will help you find all the best objects in the night sky that can be seen without a telescope. I also give you tips on the best practices and what to bring with you for your observing.
A look at the largest telescopes in the world and some monster sized ones that are currently being constructed.(Aug 5, 2008) The Big Telescopes of the World
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July 29th, Don't Miss the Solar Eclipse Coming on Aug 1!! You might not live in an area where you can see it in real life but there are plenty of resources so you can watch it on television or online. Read more and watch the videos
- The Discovery Channel is making their own telescope. The primary mirror is fourteen feet in diameter and it weighs over 7 thousand pounds. And of course the Discovery Channel is taking us inside for a look at how the Telescope is being built. It's some really interesting stuff. I have more information about it here: The Discovery Channel Telescope( I also have videos)
William Herschel and the largest telescope of the 18th Century. Herschel discovered Uranus and make over 400 Telescopes. Read more about him and the biggest telescope in the world during the 18th Century. William Herschel
Stellafane is one of the best Conventions for telescope makers. They have been going strong since 1926. Their annual convention is all about telescope making and mirror grinding. They also have one of the most unique telescopes ever made: The Porter Turret Telescope. Read more about it here
New: Newtons Telescope - You might be familiar with Galileo's telescope. He is generally credited as creating the first refractor telescope that was used for astronomical observation. I do have an essay on Galileo's Telescope here . But you might not be familiar with the First telescope that was made with a mirror rather than lenses. That telescope is now called the Newtonian after its early adopter. Newton didn't invent the reflector telescope.It was invented by an Italian Monk
Physicist, and Astronomer named Niccolo Zucchi
. But Newton did simplify the design and build one (The actual telescope he built is shown in the photo at left). He built this telescope sometime shortly before 1670 and it first became known when he described it to the Royal Society in 1670. There is a company that has replicated this beautiful telescope. Take a look at it here: Vixen 34031 Replica Newtonian Telescope
Passionate about Telescopes
I want to applaud your interest in astronomy and telescopes. Making and using telescopes has been a passion of mine for a very long time. This is an old picture of me with the first telescope I made. I thoroughly enjoy the hobby and I know that you will enjoy it too. It will bring a lot of enrichment to your life as it has done with mine.
Galileo is often thought of as inventing the telescope. He didn’t invent the telescope but he was the first person to turn one toward the night sky. And the observations he made created the new science of modern astronomy where telescopes are used to help us understand our universe, our place in it, and how it works.
Galileo first heard about the mysterious telescope in 1609 and set out to make a copy for himself. This first telescope magnified images about three times. And over the course of a decade Galileo continued to make more telescopes and his most powerful one magnified images about ten times. This telescope enabled him to see things never before seen. And it enabled him to change our view of the universe and of the objects in the sky. If you want to read more about Galileo and his telescope I have a great article here.
New ArticleAn explanation of the Resolution of Telescopes - Resolution is more important than magnification and it is the reason why big telescopes are better than small ones.
New Article Reminiscing about the telescope I always wanted - Its been many years and I still haven't gotten one but maybe someday...
New Article : How to Make a telescope: Tips for beginners Some easy tips and explanations of telescopes both refractors and dobsonians.
The Telescope Nerd 
