The 3D-printed Hadley telescope

Here's a DIY project for the 21st century.

by Jerry Oltion

I RECENTLY POSED THE QUESTION as to whether it is cheaper to build or buy a telescope, concluding that the breakeven point is somewhere around 20 cm of aperture. Yet I didn't reckon on the rise in telescope prices during the COVID pandemic, nor with amateur Jonathan Kissner and his ‘Hadley’ telescope. Jonathan has come up with a 114mm (4½-inch) f/8 design that can be built for about $200. What's the secret? 3D printing. Almost everything that requires any skill to fabricate or assemble can be 3D printed with templates that Jonathan has made freely available online. This isn't the first 3D-printed telescope. So what's different about the Hadley (named after British astronomer John Hadley, who created the first truly useful reflecting telescope)? As Jonathan explains it, “Most free plans for 3D-printable…

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Australian Sky & Telescope (Digital) - 1 Issue, March 2023

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