![]() Its job is to reflect incoming light (which enters through the front of the telescope) towards a smaller secondary mirror positioned closer to the front of the telescope. ![]() The primary mirror has a concave or parabolic surface and it is located at the tail end of the telescope. But for this article, I’ll keep it simple and say that Refractors use lenses to gather and focus light, while Reflectors instead use mirrors.Ī Reflector telescope has two mirrors: the Primary (also called the Objective) and the Secondary. There are tons of great resources online that go into great detail about differences (and similarities) between the two. As a reminder, the 3D printed telescope we will be discussing is a Reflector. ![]() Generally speaking, there are two broad categories of telescopes: Reflector and Refractor. Newtonian telescopes are usually less expensive than comparable quality/size telescopes of other types. Today, this type of telescope is popular with amateur and DIY telescope makers because it has a relatively simple design (when compared to Refractor telescopes). What’s a Newtonian Telescope?Ī Newtonian telescope is a type of Reflector telescope invented by Sir Isaac Newton in or around 1668. I’ll show you how I solved for these engineering requirements, but first it’s time for a little background. Nevertheless, even in this size class, mirrors have to be collimated, the optical tube can’t flex when you tilt it, the focal length has to be measured and engineered accurately, and the primary mirror has to have proper plate and edge support. To be fair, with its 6" (153 mm) primary mirror, this is considered a small reflector telescope, and the engineering problems increase dramatically with larger telescopes. There’s a lot that goes into engineering a good telescope, and I was not sure if 3D-printing with plastic filaments would measure up. Regarding my first thought… I wasn’t so much shocked that it worked, but I was shocked that it worked so very well. The inside of the OTA is painted in a matte black finish, which stops stray light in its tracks.When I pointed this thing towards the sky for the first time and peered through the eyepiece, two thoughts immediately struck me: 1) holy s*** it works!, and 2) wow, space is awesome. Still, since it has a lower coefficient of thermal expansion, your telescope will tend to hold its shape (and, therefore, hold focus) as temperatures fluctuate throughout the night. Steel is a bit heavier than traditional aluminum. The ends of the tube are die-cast aluminum, which contribute s to the OTA’s rigidity. The optical tube assembly on the TPO Imaging Newtonian telescope is made of rolled steel and painted white. ![]() What is the material used in TPO Telescopes? The diagonal mirror is held in place with a thin four-vane spider. Collimation is made easier due to the center spot marked on the primary mirror. The primary mirror cell is very sturdy and has six collimation knobs that can be adjusted by hand with a push or pull of the knob. A 91% aluminum coating is applied and then over-coated with a quartz layer for the ultimate in durability.Ĭollimation Made Easy on the TPO 10-inch F/4 Newtonian The mirrors are made from B270 white water optical crown glass, which is more thermally stable than glass traditionally used on other reflectors. The optics on all TPO Imaging Newtonians consist of a parabolic primary mirror and an elliptical secondary, or diagonal. Its large focuser makes sure your imaging train is secure and steady.īonus items included with the 10-inch Newtonian are rings and a v-style dovetail that provide sturdy attachment to a wide variety of mounts.This fast telescope will help you capture incredible images of galaxies, star clusters, and even planets, as featured in this video.īEST FEATURES OF THE TPO 10-INCH NEWTONIAN
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