My advice to anybody buying a telescope is to invest in quality rather than sheer size. This applies to the telescope's mounting as well as to its optics. One is able to do so much more with a telescope that is firmly mounted and has an accurate drive.

Nowadays fewer and fewer amateurs make their own telescope optics. However, an ever increasing trend is to install professionally made optics in a home-made mounting. Most telescope manufacturers supply telescope parts, as well as the completed instruments. The home constructor with limited workshop facilities can then make most of the telescope, apart from the optics and one or two of the more ‘difficult bits’.

This chapter details some of the major aspects of telescope hardware applicable to the advanced amateur astronomer. Basic knowledge is assumed. Owing to the variety of equipment design and materials in use, no specific contructional details can be given (this subject would require a large book of its own) but the reader is referred to the listing of books and articles given in Chapter 17. In addition, certain aspects of telescope equipment are considered in other relevant chapters of this book. For instance, guide-scopes for astrophotography are dealt with in Chapter 5.

Telescope tubes and baffles

A telescope's tube should maintain the optics in their correct spatial relationship whatever its orientation. It should also be difficult to induce vibrations within it.