by chantepierre on 6/16/25, 1:23 PM with 46 comments
by chantepierre on 6/16/25, 1:23 PM
A friend released files for this 6" f/5 telescope conversion kit yesterday.
It is a synthesis of a lot of telescope builds he, I and a few friends made over the last years, as well as general ideas floating in the amateur telescope making community.
It is compatible with most existing 6" f/5 newtonian optics kits. I've tried his model IRL and was pleased with both the movements and the focuser, which is often lacking on commercial offerings (which are also heavier and bulkier).
Unmounted, it forms a quite compact package to hike with or take camping.
It is licensed under CC-BY-NC-SA as he would like to sell parts kit at some point, but the files found on Printables are fully functional.
by leetrout on 6/19/25, 10:14 AM
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bahtinov_mask
That’s a clever device for focusing a small scope.
by aquir on 6/19/25, 1:50 PM
by incomingpain on 6/16/25, 1:32 PM
Saturn and Jupiter were easy, but not super clear. Mars was maybe just out of reach even on good nights.
This 6 inch will likely be perfect. Very clever design as well!
by petee on 6/19/25, 8:24 PM
On the subject of viewing targets, I unexpectedly found Globular Clusters to be really neat. As your eyes adjust, the stars just keep multiplying. And you can easily catch great looking photos.
by tregoning on 6/19/25, 5:59 PM
by jxjnskkzxxhx on 6/19/25, 8:44 AM
by tanvach on 6/19/25, 8:17 AM
by ajsnigrutin on 6/19/25, 12:54 PM
by mhb on 6/19/25, 1:27 PM