School Telescopes Project

CCAS public outreach program sponsors John Dobson in ultimate school telescope project

Students complete nearly 80 telescopes over four years


I'm Kate
The Cape Cod Astronomical Society has maintained a partnership with the Orleans Lighthouse Charter School since the initial “Telescope Seminar” during school year 1996-’97. Forty student seminar participants constructed their own “Dobsonian” telescopes with the assistance of teachers, family members, and Astronomical Society members.

Members funded a six-week residency of astronomer John Dobson who taught twice-weekly fall evening seminars held at the school and opened to the public. Mr. Dobson was also on hand for the completion of the telescopes and the school’s first “star party” where students and Astronomical Society members positioned their telescopes on a neighboring beach and invited the public to view the stars. During winter 1999, 30 additional students constructed telescopes and participated in the Telescope Seminar. Eighth grade science teacher Paul Niles was awarded a national grant, theToyota Grant, which enabled the school to once again bring astronomer John Dobson to the school,as well as provide other essential ingredients of the telescope program. During the 2001-'02 school year, astronomers from the club gave several presentations to students on topics ranging from sunspots to a virtual tour of the cosmos. Club members also donated optical equipment to the school.

Inventor/Astronomer John Dobson
John Dobson has been a regular guest member of the Cape Cod Astronomical Society when he comes East. Photo credit Jim Carlson.

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Star Watch website

Use of technology across the curriculum continues to be strong at the Lighthouse School. Students participated for the third consecutive year in a pilot project in partnership with the Harvard/Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, controlling telescopes around the world through the Internet in order to learn about astronomy and the nature of science. Both the Coordinated Program Review and the Year 7 Site Visit Report complemented the school for its innovative development of the telescope building project as part of the curriculum.

Build Your Own Dobsonian Telescope

Building your own Dobsonian telescope. The term Dobsonian was coined a few years ago to describe Newtonian telescopes built using the affordable techniques and plans championed by John Dobson. They require only a few weeks of your spare time, and the end result will be an eight or ten inch telescope that looks great perched on your apartment balcony. If you're careful, you'll discover that a home-built telescope can outperform commercial scopes costing thousands of dollars.

Grinding and Testing a Telescope Mirror

Amateur telescope making

Building a Dobsonian Telescope

Stellafane Amateur Telescope Convention, Springfield Vermont

Telescope Making Listing

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Build a Solar System

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