Astronomical lens discovery

[Starlight 1]

It started a few days ago while looking at Saturn and didn't like the size of the pictures when looking through lens. I was making a camera adaptor to fit on the scope by adding lenses to increase the size and I discovered how to make a new lens by mistake.

I made this new lens from Nikon lens components and came up with a lens which is in perfect focus over a distance of approx 400 ft ( as I have nothing past this point to see you will have to wait until nightfall so I can try much further away objects to see how it will develop). All I can say at the moment is it is amazing to look through!!

I am now looking at a spider eating a fly at about 150ft, I can see moss on a roof at 300ft and the screw heads on a building at approx 400ft without moving the focuser at all.

[RogerTheDodger]

show us some pics of it...

[Starlight 1]

Hi Roger Let me just do my tests tonight if the weather is good, but I have incorporated eye relief so you can shut the aperture from 2.8 down to 16 so you can concentrate on one small area. If successful I will put in all sizes on how to make one over the weekend.

[RogerTheDodger]

cool

[Viv]

Sounds interesting - nice one.

[Starlight 1]

I will give you a clue what I am playing with. Am using a piece of tube about 60mm to screw on to the camera adaptor of the Skywatcher 130mm, take a 6 element lens which goes into a 35mm focuser for developing your own film, attach this into the tube the same way as you would an eyepiece. The results are amazing!!

[Starlight 1]

Update on the camera attachment. I am using a 10mm lens in the bottom of the tube attached to the scope, I am using lenses in the top of the tube so in effect it is like looking through binoculars from inside the tube which will hopefully give a full-blown picture when the camera is attached to the top.

[Lux1]

I think you have make some kind of a focal increaser with and extension tube and a series of lenses. The same as a barlow lens with an eyepiece built in.

When I stack barlows and look through a 6mm eyepiece I can see incredible detail next-door!

[ronin]

If you work the figures out then an 8mm screw head at 400 ft (120mtr) has an angle of 13.75 arc sec.

Saturn has an angle of 14.5 arc sec.

So if you are saying you can see/image something the same size as Saturn then I have the bad news that it has already been done.