Telescope Fun

Depending on the type and expense of the telescope you have, if it breaks it may be less expensive to buy a telescope part you need and fit it yourself. However, there may be times when it would be better to take it to someone with experience to install the telescope part that is bad.

Over all a basic telescope is a fairly simple piece of equipment consisting of a lens and an eyepiece fitted into a tube. While it sounds simple enough, there are a few things that can go wrong to render it unusable. For example, there is probably a telescope part like small rings holding the objective lens in place and if one of them breaks or comes loose, the lens can become crooked which will send the image to a point where it will no longer be focused on the eyepiece.

Depending on the manufacturer, it may be easy enough to remove the objective lens and replace the telescope part, replace the lens and be back in business. However, it may be necessary to refocus and realign the lenses for which special equipment may be needed as well as a professional’s touch.

Seek Help With More Complicated Equipment

If you own a more complicated piece of equipment, such as a computerized telescope, buying a telescope part may be your first step, but you will probably need help installing it, considering the price you probably paid for it. With some, setting your current location and time will cause the telescope to adjust automatically to view a specified area of the sky. Programming the computer is probably simple enough, but if the telescope part that has gone bad is the motor or gears, help may be needed.

In some cases the telescope part may be molded as part of the telescope’s body or frame work. If it is welded on, doing it yourself without the proper expertise could cause internal damage. Taking it to a professional, you can learn if replacing the telescope part will fit it or if it is time for a new one. It many cases, especially with a less expensive model, buying the telescope part and paying to have it installed may cost more than a new one.

Tripod mounts may become loose and fail to hold the telescope steady and maybe the telescope part that holds it to the telescope body needs replaced. While can probably do this job yourself, making sure it will line up properly and supply the right support will be important to its future life.