Lurie-Houghton Telescope Project

Around May of 1999 I started thinking about designing and building my own telescope. I got the idea while reading Telescope Optics - Evaluation and Design by Harrie Rutten and Martin ven Rooij. I liked the Lurie-Houghton design which uses a spherical primary mirror and a full aperture doublet corrector lens to eliminate the spherical aberration and coma. I hadn't thought of building a telescope until I read about this design which really sparked my interest.

This web site is a contribution to the amateur telescope making (ATM) community and will document the telescope design and provide photos and general information as the project progresses. So, come visit again in the future.

GRAPHIC: RTMC Merit Award 2001 I took the telescope to the 2001 RTMC Astronomy Expo, otherwise known as the Riverside Telescope Makers Conference, which is held every Memorial Day weekend near Big Bear Lake, California. The telescope was awarded one of the merit awards given out that year.

Technical Information

Design Article for My Telescope	Review of OSLO LT V5.4 Design Software
Lurie-Houghton Design Equations	Lurie-Houghton Telescope Testing and Use

Photo and Info Gallery

Zoe with Aluminum Tube	Zoe with Aluminum Stock
Raw Aluminum Tube on Losmandy Mount	Zoe and Secondary Sleeve Parts
Secondary Retaining Nut on Lathe (Front)	Jacob with Lens Blanks
Secondary Holder Assembly (Front)	Secondary Holder Assembly (Back)
Corrector Cell Frame on the Lathe	Corrector Cell Frame
Corrector Cell Frame with Spacer	Nearly completed Corrector Cell
Primary Cell Mounting Ring	Jacob with Primary Cell Mounting Ring
Focuser and finder scope on unpainted tube	Blower fan in telescope tube
Primary mirror mount yoke	Primary mirror collimation adjuster
Secondary mirror and mount	Fans and focuser, an insider view
Astrositall Mirror Blank	Grinding one of the lenses
Corrector Lens Assembly	Corrector and Secondary Assembly
First Light in Page, Arizona	Primary mirror on its yoke
Jacob with painted corrector assembly	The painted corrector assembly
The assemble scope on its mount	Oblique view of the front
A close view into the front	A close view of the rear
Rick & Scope at the Messier Marathon	Plaques and Focuser on the Lurie-Houghton

Rick Scott's Natural Images Home Page

Updated: 7 November 2004