How to build a Dobsonian Telescope

[JustWickedSwede]

Old windows error sound when music starts? :D

[MrFirminVernege]

Anyone know where I can find some good plans?

[TheA10Phonex]

cool.. but I wont be able to build that telescope, cuz i don't have a tank to put the tube assembly and the mount together :|)

[KillerGuitar70]

great stargate music ! ,,,, lol

[Balphagore13]

The Spider!?!? It Can Be Seen In the Eyepiece??

[Technolab]

Good job nice to watch

[juniortore1]

what is the mirror fan for?

[2Bibleppl]

This is the music from Stargate SG -1

I love that show. This is a great vid with

a lot of needful info. I'll keep this one. Thanks

for sharing.

[ionglacier]

aww dude u should make some videos of stuff u see in the sky!

[icegirld]

good job :) I hope I can make this project happen for me too :) And BTW, the Stargate soundtrack fits perfectly with the video :D

[infrno187]

this is a good idea, but I wish it was more informative and not so rudimentary.  I would like a piece by piece break down of whats going on, and the script is hard to read if at all.

[IcarusFlying]

lol love the soundtrack :)

[SeAnStAmOn]

That would be a NEWTonian. Not a dobsonian.

[shyrwinsteelsia]

@SeAnStAmOn: A Dobsonian is an alt-azimuth mounted Newtonian telescope design popularized by John Dobson.

Hope that clears any misunderstandings.

[trevics]

See Shyrwinsteelsia's definition. :) Spot on.

[kc8ntp]

@SeAnStAmOn Newtonian is the actual telescope; a reflecting telescope. A Dobsonian is a reflecting telescope that use a gun-turret type mount, which was designed by John Dobson. So, yes, it would be correct to refer to this as a Dobsonian telescope, as it uses the mount designed by Mr. Dobson. He didn't invent the reflecting telescope, but he sure as hell revolutionized it!

[KillerGuitar70]

@SeAnStAmOn Dobsonian refers to the base

[kd0bgz]

Epic music :)

[manindemoon]

Great video!  Very instructive.

[funnygirl532]

GOOD JOB! (NICE)!

[THEmoonCHANNEL1]

cheaper to buy one than make one i think

[df44me]

Good Job! Very nice indeed.....

[ChiGirl1109]

Very cool!!

[beecave]

Just exactly how do you assmemble a telescope? Sounds dirty, if you ask me.

[aaabronco]

If you build it i will come.

[hummerume]

@aaabronco me too :)

[1robbie55382]

Very Very cool, man I wanna hang out at your place. Good Job

[shatros]

very cool video. I learned a lot. I could easily see how everything can go together and I now have enough info to make my own. My only other comment is that I am surprised that you can construct a precision optical instrument out of common low tech materials. Bravo!

[onthemove201]

lol hey

thats empire earth music XD hehe nice

[WildoTheRubberFist]

I would have preferred a verbal commentary one what you are doing and why... but It is still easy to get whats on.

[TIC226]

excelent !

[markuslebt]

amazing ! hope i can build a dob too soon !

[ironclownfish]

I am lucky enough to currently be building a dobsonian telescope under the instruction of John Dobson himself :)

[mrhulot101]

I noticed several people felt the need to comment on the video quality. I want to see their freakin videos!

I feel the need to comment on how much fun and enthusisam for this project came through, it made me want to build one on my own. You did a fantastic job! Thanks so much for taking your time and for sharing.

[mnpd007]

I've built a number of Dobs using concrete tubes. Use 1/16th threaded rod for the spiders... less light blockage than the wood, and the threads make for easy collimation. To flock the tube interior, use cheap flat black spray paint... "gas" the tube and let the spray settle for a rough finish... don't apply directly. Tap the tube after drying to knock out the loose particles.

Good job! The mount is dead on.

[MacBooker4444]

good concept but the video quality sucks.

[geremiagermogli]

wonderful!

[kosheronce]

in science , but coooool.

[Hitlernnn]

what a fuck this music???

[plasticmanbob]

Natty!!!! Vinil plus teflon for the rocker box!!

[lonewanderer77]

Nice vid, even better telescope, but video poor quality.

[oicurageologist]

Good job on the telescope, issue was the poor quality of the video stream, but nice sound track. Other than that, nice telescope, I am working on assembling the parts for my own. Why did you go with wood to hold the secondary mirror instead of metal posts? Just curious.

[trevics]

Inexperience and youth. The latest model uses hobby prethreaded metal rods. Alas, the newest video never came to fruition.

[hummerume]

@trevics Hi buddy, how do you determine the geometrical details of the mirrors used? like the curvature, diameter and other stuff? can u share the details of the telescope u built? am plannin to build one myself...

thanks in advance

Regards

[OOTWAstronomy]

@trevics how much did it cost altogether? its an awesome scope by the way.

[cyer5]

A very energetic piece of work.

[trevics]

Well... it works like a telescope does. You point it somewhere and you look through the lenses that you have (cost is probably more than the telescope). Total cost of this telescope was less than 300. Comperable cost for a purchased version is around 800. If you're lazy buy one, if not, build your own. Plain and simple.

[thecydonianknight314]

depends if its a 6 inch youll save about $50 if an 8 inch about $100 if a big 10 inch about more than $300-500

[stephen11crowley]

can you let me know some information on where you can purchases 6/8" concave mirrors.thanks

[trevics]

Somewhere in the video we pause on the address of where we bought the mirrors. They're no longer the same company, but were merged into another.

[TNRuss]

Nice job. Telescopes are allot of fun. All you have to do is learn your way around the sky a little bit first and then start with the brighter stuff. Moon, planets. stars, star clusters ect........ An incredible hobby ! Thanks for the video. :-D

[Sasha0K]

I thought you would show how to make the mirror :)

[enzolanz84]

great job dude :)

[Eastman1986]

lol! Yea the music and animations were a bit dramatic, but awesome nonetheless! :) I was debating with myself over what type of telescope to build, and I think that this might be the one! I don't know about anybody else, but I plan on using software developed by a friend and a $2000 webcam that I found lying around to search for extrasolar planets!

[flamingcookbook]

That sounded more like a covert military operation than a how-to guide to scopes.

[brownwhiskey1898]

fun to watch, I learn a lot

[trentcreek]

Isn't that music from Stargate?

[trentcreek]

Track 27 - Battle at the Pyramid?

[traintaz]

besides informative your video was just so much fun to watch! thank you

[GiorgosSX]

Buy commercial parts for secondary holder, primary mirror cell and focuser. The wooden "spider" will not let you collimate the telescope optics.

[trevics]

True, but the wooden "spider" costs pennies.

[gnorville]

Really nice vid! The animations were great :)

Clever use of that old LP record, too!

[BODeUnToUcHaBLE]

how much did it cost?

[trevics]

The mirrors were the most expensive at around 200+.  Everything else came in at less than 100.

[n4tti1c3]

Could one use a concave vanity mirror like the type you can buy at Wallmart for the big mirror?

[xsoburg]

Can an orinary photography tripod be used to hold a homemade telescope up.(I tried making one using a cosmetics mirror and cardboard)

[trevics]

I'd say for something that scale definately. It's more or less the same as having binoculars on a tripod.

[mynameiscaleb]

what is the most magnification youve got out of this whil retainging a clear image.

[trevics]

The general rule is half the size of your mirrors. This is an 8" scope, so 400x power is about max.

[guop4]

i like astronmoy!

your vidio were great designed!i pretty like it

[guop4]

i like astronmoy!

your vidio were great designed!i pretty like it

[foreilly1958]

Excellent Video. Thank you for sharing your Sidewalk telescope with us. Has John Dobson seen this? I suspect that he would enjoy it. Perhaps even enough to stop speaking of cosmology for a few minutes. Francis J. O'Reilly

[tallhunter1]

dam fine work

[mcpotplant]

wheres jack o'nell

[forexmars]

that's the song from stargate movie

[MadSineTist]

Very well done video! Incredible! great music score too!

[stevew321]

Loved it! What is the music?

It is so dramatic!

Thanks

[trevics]

Music is from the Stargate soundtrack. :)

[trentcreek]

Stargate. Battle at the Pyramid

[trevics]

It fits doesn't it? Spot on though!

[jmmahony]

You probably already figured this out, but your secondary is in backwards- flip it long end to long end, so the bevel goes the other way, to minimize the obstruction. Then the surface will also be centered in the tube.

[trevics]

Wow, good eye! Yeah, took us a while to figure that one out after we started looking at some others.

[michelovando31]

hey, right now i'm making my own telescope following your video, but can you tell me where can i go to buy the lenght of the telescope????...that's the only thing left i need.......please somebody give me a hand..

[trevics]

Are you talking about the tube? If so it's a cardboard sonotube used to pour concrete pilings. A construction supplier nearby should have them available, though they can be a pain to find. Good luck!

[michelovando31]

i was talking about the primary mirror, sorry but i didn't know the name of it.'

[trevics]

Ahh... No prob. Actually the address of where we got the mirrors is on the video somewhere in there. Chances are you might be able to get a better deal somewhere else these days, but if you're really gung ho you could always try grinding your own. :)

[zoroastro33]

exelent video.......................O.­O

[ourhomeplanet]

amazing video! i love the spooky feeling

[Marcie57]

BEST space music on a video in youtube

where did you hire the invisible people who invented it ?

[Atevra]

that is some amazing cgi, i have a few telescopes myself, 8" maskutov, 6" refracter... :)

[clipi2000]

It would be nice is you can post some pictures or images captured from the telescope... Very nice video!!!

[bankeh]

That song is the batman one, from the animated cartoon, am i right or what?

[HearWa]

Thanks for the video, I'm about to build my own and I plan to use this as a visual reference.

[muffinman1]

very nice. I felt like i was in a galactic opera of sort.