Making telescopes under Rs 3,000

Hyderabad: All one needs is a 32 mm PVC pipe, lens holder-Lens cell Glare /Field aperture stop for 50 mm tube step down adapter from 50 mm to 32 mm, 32 mm stopper for focusing the 32 mm tube and a few more items to make a telescope for just Rs 2,100+18% GST, according to Dr Priya and S Najam Hasan, the faculty members of Maulana Azad National Urdu University (MAANU) to a group of enthusiasts who attended the workshop at Phoenix Arena recently, and the duo went on to build one for the participants.

Titled 'Eye to the Skies' the free workshop was supported by Do Science, a non-profit initiative of Bookmark Project Trust to spread awareness about space and inculcate a scientific temper among people, especially the student community.

Lakshya and T Chaitanya from Euro School said that they had hands-on experience and the workshop was helpful as what they read in books cannot match what they learn by seeing and doing.

Harshita, an employee of CS Holding Corporation, a participant, said: "When I came to know about this workshop I wanted to learn how to make a telescope. The workshop was helpful."

Dr Priya Hasan, Assistant Professor, Department of Physics, MAANU, said, "The basic idea of conducting the workshop was to explain the principle of making telescope and spread awareness about the wonders of space."

She further added, "The basic detector that we use to look at the things are eyes which have a dynamic range but to look at stars we get minute amount of light and that kind of light eye cannot be captured, so we use a telescope to look at sky. In the ancient period north star was the main celestial body to navigate."

Telescope was discovered 400 years ago in 1608 by Hans Lippershey, but the credit goes to Galileo who was the first one to use the telescope for astronomical purpose. The main function of the telescope was the light gathering power from which you can see the faint object brighter.

The professors at MAANU said that it is now possible to build telescope with low expensive items such as 32-mm diameter rigid PVC pipe of 10 kg pressure/length 8-10 inch approx.

Dr S Najam Hasan, Dean, School of Science and Mathematics, MAANU, said, "telescopes are of two types- refractors and reflectors. At the workshop we made a 32-mm refractor telescope from which one can see Jupiter.

The largest refractor telescope at Yerkers Observatory is 40 inch (100 centimeters)." The previous workshops were held at Lamakaan, Government Degree College ,Jammikunta Nasr Girls School and IZM School, Moula Ali. The entire Telescope making kit costs Rs 2100 excluding 18% GST.