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Telescope Building with John Dobson

Dobson Astro-Initiatives · 1.7M views · 2014-12-09 · 1:28:31

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Overview

A roughly 90-minute film of John Dobson building a Dobsonian telescope step by step, including hand-grinding the mirror.

On Hacker News

Recommended to anyone interested in telescope making as a guide from Dobson himself.

Recommended by 4 HN people across 4 months · HN mentions 2017–2025

Topics

Woodworking, metalworking & workshop skillsCosmology & astrophysics3D printing, CNC & maker projects
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dobsonianjohn dobsonmirror grindingamateur astronomydiy optics

What people said

nvalis · 2025-03 · Recommendation

There is a very detailed video documentation [0] about telescope building techniques, featuring insights from John Dobson, the inventor of the Dobsonian telescope mentioned on the page. [0] [VIDEO]

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Prey4Jesus · 2021-02 · Recommendation

The most important thing to look for is the diameter of the aperture. Your resolution is proportional to the diameter of the telescope (absent atmospheric conditions). I would recommend a minimum of 6" in diameter. 8-12" is preferred. With this in mind, the best telescope you can get for the price is a Dobsonian. Dobsonians are extremely mechanically and optically simple. This makes them long, and bulky. It also makes them cheap. It also makes them rather easy to point. They have a lot of mass and inertia, and a large moment of inertia. This makes them easy to move and point slowly and carefully. Dobsonians are ideal beginner telescopes. Easy to point, cheap, good resolution. This is the model I have (8" aperture, $450): [LINK] They're also rather easy to construct, if you are of a DIY mind. Here's a 90 minute youtube video on how to build one, with John Dobson himself: [VIDEO]

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DanBC · 2020-04 · Recommendation

I like this video from John Dobson about handmade telescopes, where he builds a complete telescope including hand grinding the mirrors. [VIDEO]

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Sources

Video by Dobson Astro-Initiatives, played through YouTube.

Data and selection notes

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