Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Cold War Spoils: Amateur Builds Telescope With 70-Inch Lens

Posted by timothy on from the just-winging-it dept.

First time accepted submitter 192_kbps writes "Mike Clements, a long-haul trucker from West Jordan, Utah, built the largest amateur telescope ever with a whopping 70 inch primary mirror he purchased at auction. The entire telescope is 35 feet tall, 900 pounds, and he hopes to tour it in parks. As a hand-turned Dobsonian the telescope lacks the photographic capacity and tracking required for professional astronomy but the views must be breathtaking." (Are there other compelling candidates out there for "largest amateur telescope ever"? The 71" scope listed by nitesky.org appears to be dormant.)

3 of 101 comments (clear)

  1. Bad Headline: Mirror Not a Lens by crunchygranola · · Score: 5, Informative

    Here is the scoop on the 70" telescope. Mike Clements purchased a polished but uncoated mirror that is 70" across that was intended for a spy satellite project that was cancelled. A huge uncoated mirror is not a telescope anymore than (car analogy - wait for it...) a V8 engine is a racecar. Building a good performing telescope (collimation tolerances are measured in thousandths of an inch) is a significant task, a huge telescope like this is a major engineering feat. What's more this is a transportable telescope. It is possibly the biggest transportable telescope in the world. This telescope is more powerful than any telescope that existed before 1917 (when the 100" Hooker telescope saw first light).

    Successfully silvering the mirror using updated 19th Cedntury mirror coating technology was nifty too.

    --
    Second class citizen of the New Gilded Age
  2. Hats off to this man! And for once, the Eds.. by Bearhouse · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Truely "news for Nerds". Brings back fond memories of building 'scope and staring at the skies with my father.
    This man has drive, dedication and the ability to both conceptualise and physically realise his dreams.

    Instead of bullshit "surveys" with no-longer-funny "CoboyNeal" options, here's a serious suggestion - how about we instigate the /. annual "Nerd" awards?

    Fuck it, this is going way offtopic, but I don't care...categories anyone?

  3. Re:Did he buy the mirror, or make it? by mcmonkey · · Score: 5, Funny

    "Charlize Theron NSFW"

    I keep clicking on those words, but nothing happens :(