As any stargazer will know, the bigger you go, the better things get. And it now seems that amateurs are taking this ethos to the extreme by building their own behemoths in their own back gardens.
Whilst most backyard telescopes will measure somewhere between 3 and 12 inches, one American amateur has decided to go that little bit further, building his very own telescope, with the primary mirror measuring 70 inches and the casing around it measuring up to 35 feet. Whilst this doesn’t beat the record-breaking 72 inch home telescope made by Lord Reece in the 19th century, it is certainly a very worthy contender.
The sheer scale of this telescope goes someway to prove just how popular amateur stargazing is becoming, and just how far those passionate about studying the sky will go to get the perfect view of the stars.
For most, however, financial, spatial and storage constraints will mean that dreams of 70 inch mirrors will indeed remain just dreams. However, with new technology appearing on the market all the time, even very affordable astronomical telescopes will now give an extremely good view of the cosmos, and all without the cost, hassle and indeed logistical nightmares that will accompany the task of building your own.
Yet, the extremes that people are willing to go to in trying to get a better view of the cosmos remain inspiring, and those who wish to use the best telescope or any other form of modern technology to see the universe in unique ways and in all its glory should always dream big. However, knowing where to start is also important and the more you can learn about how a telescope works and what makes a certain type perfect the better, and such an approach will certainly help those who do one day want to branch out and create their own stargazing monster.