2008 Table Mountain Youth Telescope Making Program
All kits for 2008 have been reserved.
TMSP will have a Youth Telescope Making class at this year's Star Party. Your child can sign up for the class and build their own 5" f/8 telescope. The optical tubes are made by Meade and the Dobsonian mounts will be built in the class. We ask that each student 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. More time will be scheduled if needed. 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.
Included in each kit is:
5" f/8 optical tube assembly from Meade
20mm .965" eyepiece
6mm .965" eyepiece
Finder Scope
1.25" eyepiece adapter
Two inch focuser
Baltic Birch wood for mount
All of the parts needed to assemble the mount on site.
There currently are six (6) telescope kits available. If you are interested in your child building a scope of their own, sign up early as these will go fast.
The cost of the class, including the telescope is $125. 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.
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 (Drill with Phillips bit)
These are not required, however you might find them handy for you to use.
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 us 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: All parts required to have a GOOD fully functional telescope are provided. Although a couple of eyepieces and a finder scope come with the kit, a couple of better 1.25" eyepieces and a red dot finder would be useful upgrades for this scope. You should be able to purchase these from the vendors on site if you do not want to obtain them ahead of time.
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 students understand the basic principals 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.
(Page updated 07/04/2008)