A book that has been used with great success by countless amateur astronomers, this volume presents complete and detailed instructions and numerous diagrams showing how to construct a do-it-yourself telescope. No complicated mathematics are involved, and no prior knowledge of optics or astronomy is needed to follow the text's step-by-step directions, which also offer instruction in the fundamentals of practical optics.Contents: 1. Story of the Telescope. 2. Materials and Equipment. 3. Mirror Grinding. 4. The Pitch Lap. 5. Polishing-Testing-Correcting. 6. The Paraboloid. 7. The Diagonal. 8. Tube Parts-Alignment-The Finder. 9. Eyepieces and Related Problems. 10. The Mounting. 11. Aluminizing and Cleaning. 12. Setting Circles-Equatorial Adjustment. 13. Optical Principles-Atmosphere-Magnitudes. 14. A Second Telescope. Appendixes. Index.