Amateur astronomers build their own telescopes

(CNS): The students on an astronomy course at the UCCI have gone a step further than mere star gazing and have constructed their own telescopes. The Observatory Amateur Telescope Making course taught by Dr Wm. (Bill) Hrudey saw the would astro-physicists construct fully functional telescopes giving striking images of the moon, planets and other celestial objects. The home-made stargazers made on the eight week course are 6" f/8 Newtonian reflectors ona Dobsonian mount

The engineers of these impressive telescopes are Jordan and her Dad Kevin Butler, Dr W Veit and Richard McLeod, Eric Cronier and his son and, Jason Blitzstein. The course ran parallel with the basic Astronomy course at the Observatory taught by Chris Cooke and Richard McLeod from the Cayman Islands Astronomical Society which means the students also now know what to look for with their new instruments.