The Dobsonian Telescope: A Practical Manual for Building Large Aperture Telescopes [Hardcover]

David Kriege (Author), Richard Berry (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0943396557 | ISBN-13: 978-0943396552 | Publication Date: June 1997 | Edition: 1st English ed

This book tells how you can build a state-of-the-art Dobsonian telescope using readily available materials and supplies. Every step of construction is detailedin photographs and diagrams, and the underlying ideas are carefully explained. As a result of this three-year collaboration between authors David Kriege and Richard Berry, experienced and well-known telescope makers, you now have the opportunity to build a high-performance telescope from 14 inches to 40 inches aperture based on the thoroughly tested designs described in this book. The Dobsonian telescope takes its name from the astronomer/philosopher John Dobson, who introduced the concept of inexpensive, large-aperture telescopes to astronomy. Amateur astronomers at the time were so amazed that a telescope builtfrom simple, inexpensive materials performed so well that they could hardly believe their eyes. As home-built Dobsonians started showing up at star parties across the nation and people saw what Dobsonians could do, the word spread. In just a few years, the Dobsonian revolution swept the world. Since those early telescopes, Dobsonians have improved dramatically. An entire generation of amateur telescope makers contributed their best insights and refinements to Dobson's original design. Today's Dobsonians are larger, lighter,and more precise than ever before. For example, it is possible to build a telescope of 20 inches aperture that is compact enough to transp

Product Details

• Hardcover: 475 pages
• Publisher: Willmann-Bell; 1st English ed edition (June 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0943396557
• ISBN-13: 978-0943396552
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.2 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #343,231 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

38 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A comprehensive guide to building your own large dobsonian, October 12, 2000

By 

Stephen M. Greene (Macomb Twp., MI United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Dobsonian Telescope: A Practical Manual for Building Large Aperture Telescopes (Hardcover)

Not only did I read the book but I used just about every bit of information to build my own 18" truss type dobsonian telescope. This book was the only guide I used. I found that all the information that is needed was contained within the text, tables and photographs to successfully construct my scope. I challenged myself to find other ways to engineer the truss assembly and found that the design that is laid out in the text could not be improved upon much. The trade-offs included ease of construction, cost, and availability of materials. To put it plainly, some serious engineering went into the methods shown in the book. A must buy!

27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Exactly what I needed!, August 9, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Dobsonian Telescope: A Practical Manual for Building Large Aperture Telescopes (Hardcover)

Excellent book and a joy to read! I am currently grinding a 8" mirror and bought this book for the 8" plans which are surprisingly compact. Kriege goes into detail on how to build a truss tube Dobsonian for larger apertures and leaves the reader with no questions due to the great explanations and pictures. Other strong points include very informative and up to date discussions on materials used to build today's modern Dobsonian telescope. My only argument is the author discourages grinding your own mirror which has been a great experience for myself and I am glad I did not listen to other astronomers who have the same view as Kriege. The selling point of Kriege's "Dobsonian Telescope" for myself include the plans for a small telescope (8") plus plans for larger scopes that will fill my aperture fever needs later. Both criteria have been met and I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in building any size Dobsonian telescope.

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Authoritative, technical, easy, practical, humorous, GREAT!, May 14, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Dobsonian Telescope: A Practical Manual for Building Large Aperture Telescopes (Hardcover)

Any astronomer with even the remotest interest in Dobsonian telescopes MUST buy this book.

It doesn't matter if you want to build one, use one, or buy one pre-built. David Kriege and Richard Berry do an absolutely tremendous job of taking the reader through all the construction steps of a large-aperature Dobsonian telescope, of describing how to use it, how it will impact your life and your family and what's the best size for you.

"The Dobsonian Telescope" is extraordinarily well-illustrated, contains a wealth of technical data that generations of astronomers found the "hard way," yet is very easy to understand and apply.

Kriege and Barry also realize that not everyone can afford or has the space for the monster scope of their dreams, so there's even a good chapter on building a much more modest scope from off-the-shelf items. Best of all, all the "big scope" information is still useful for the smaller one (8") and just a plain, good, read.

Finally, the book is fun. Both authors have a dry wit that livens up what otherwise could have been a rather boring, technical monologue.

For anyone who's ever craved an owner's manual that tells them what they really want to know about their purchase, "The Dobsonian Telescope" is a "best buy." Even better, you don't have to buy the telescope to enjoy the book.