Great news! Thanks to 3D printing, you can now explore the cosmos for less. Having come up with a telescope you can 3D print from scratch, TenTelecopes founder Brian Michel has published all his design files online, free for anyone to download and assemble.
Designed to democratize the observation of planets, star clusters, and other celestial bodies, the Skyward 150 comes with all you need to get started – including a tripod mount! With its custom counterbalance at the bottom, smartphones can also be attached as needed.
Assembling each Skyward 150 is said to take about ten hours, making this a fairly demanding task. But at less than $350, the device is much cheaper than off-the-shelf alternatives. As time goes on, Michel and his team of volunteers hope the project will inspire others to get involved in astronomy, and further improve the accessibility of its complex equipment.