Beyond the Blueprint: Creating a Galaxy - Post 8-Refurbishing an 8 inch Reflecting Telescope: The Prequel

I am the guy who was told I have the perfect face for radio. Buyer beware…I am doing a series of videos. Here is what you will NOT see. You will not see: anyone asking you to subscribe 10 times, a polished studio, fantastic editing, flawless lighting, no mistakes and a sales pitch to buy stuff. All I am trying to do is to take you on a journey. This journey will help you refurbish a telescope. If you do not have tons of money, don’t worry. You can still do astronomy. Reflecting telescopes are commonly for sale. Here is a way to help you get the biggest bang for your buck at an affordable price. Maybe together we can create a better galaxy….That being said, I do have one sales pitch. Please join your local astronomical society. The relationships and educational benefits far outweigh the annual cost to join. So join TODAY!

20 year old newtonian reflector….

Beyond the Blueprint: Creating a Galaxy - Post 7-The ups and downs of 3D printing and Plan B

I used to tell people, ¨I would hesitate becoming a member of any group that would allow me to join them…..¨ That being said…. join an Astronomy Group TODAY if you have not already. I just joined the Warren County Astronomical Society. I have lived in Warren County Ohio for years and had no idea they even existed. I was fortunate to find out about this amazing group. They have built and maintained TWO observatories in Warren county and work with the parks department to keep them running. They have regular public viewings. The astronomical society offers online classes. They provide private viewings for members. The society also works with almost any school group that approaches them. I am just getting back into astronomy and what has impressed me the most is that the Warren County Astronomical Society has many dedicated members passionate about science and willing to share their passion with others. You can only learn so much from You Tube. It is a huge help to learn from others journeys and passion. And it makes it much more fun. Join Today!

3 D printed phone holder ABS

Good news….Matt the engineering teacher successfully dialed in the 3 D printer and was able to print a cell phone holder for a telescope. Not so good news…pretty much confirmed that I will need to go to plan B. 70 plus parts with hundreds of students was just a bit ambitious. I am learning that 3 D printing is part science and part art form. That is O.K. It just means that I may have to take the long term plan and trust the process. I think I do have good plan B.

20 year old newtonian reflector….

Years ago I was involved in a great astronomy program at the Cincinnati Observatory center. I was awarded with an 8 inch Newtonian Reflector Telescope. It is now dusty, out of alignment, and has been lent out and tossed in the back of numerous cars and SUVs on road trips. The optics are still good. It just needs to be restored. The plan is to first take it apart, clean it, re align the optics, put it back together and give it every upgrade possible that was not available 20 years ago. I plan to record and video every step of the way…even the mistakes. Why bother? There are many scopes available online that are great used telescopes. You can get them at a decent price and turn them into great scopes with a bit of TLC and creativity. Just think, you can view the universe for a minor investment that can provide years of wonder and enjoyment. Letś get started….

Beyond the Blueprint: Creating a Galaxy - Post 6-Join a Astronomical Society TODAY!

I used to tell people, ¨I would hesitate becoming a member of any group that would allow me to join them…..¨ That being said…. join an Astronomy Group TODAY if you have not already. I just joined the Warren County Astronomical Society. I have lived in Warren County Ohio for years and had no idea they even existed. I was fortunate to find out about this amazing group. They have built and maintained TWO observatories in Warren county and work with the parks department to keep them running. They have regular public viewings. The astronomical society offers online classes. They provide private viewings for members. The society also works with almost any school group that approaches them. I am just getting back into astronomy and what has impressed me the most is that the Warren County Astronomical Society has many dedicated members passionate about science and willing to share their passion with others. You can only learn so much from You Tube. It is a huge help to learn from others journeys and passion. And it makes it much more fun. Join Today!

Beyond the Blueprint: Creating a Galaxy - Post 5-3d Printing - Time to consider Plan B

Other attempts at printing with PETG….

Here is the situation. PETG soaks up water. Water causes a huge problem. The problem is the prints turn out terrible. A filament dryer takes care of the water. Sometimes the combination of PETG and the filament dryer work. Many times this combination does not work because the print might also depend on the brand of PETG. Could I get good prints if I had the time and resources? Maybe…I also have a day job in which I am working with about a 100 + students. The people who are helping me with this are also in the same boat. Did I mention I have 70 + pieces to print? Here is the good news…. a worthwhile plan B…..Stay tuned.

Beyond the Blueprint: Creating a Galaxy - Post 4-3d Printing - Possible Progress

A successful 3 D print with the resin PLA…

The continued saga of building a telescope...the 3D printing phase. So here is what we have learned so far. It is all about chemistry. Before you “click” to close this page, I will provide the short and quick version. PETG is a filament and acts like a sponge that chemically soaks up water. Substances that absorb water expand. Expansion means it gets stuck in the nozzle and does not print. So....first we have to dry it out and then put it in a "dryer" that feeds it to the printer. The picture above is a part made with the PLA resin. We know the files are good...it is just a matter of getting it dry and finding a printer not in use. This is what took a week to figure out. It is true that “slow and steady” wins the race. So the story goes....

Beyond the Blueprint: Creating a Galaxy - Post 3 3d Printing - Ugh

First attempt at 3D printing…..

If you’ve ever tried to build something, you know things rarely go as planned. And if you’ve ever tried to 3D print, you know that’s a special kind of understatement. I brought a project to a fantastic engineering teacher who was kind enough to lend his time and two 3D printers—which hadn't been used since the end of last school year and had been sitting idle all summer.

I had files for four small eyepiece adapters and a shiny new spool of PETG filament, and I was full of optimism. My teacher friend loaded the files, set the parameters, and hit “Go.” The printer estimated 7.5 hours for just four small parts, which put the scale of this project into perspective. With roughly 70 pieces to print in total, it felt a little daunting.

I came back the next day, expecting to see some progress, but instead, we had a glorious "bird's nest" of plastic. Apparently, this is a normal rite of passage in the world of 3D printing. The machines can be finicky and have to be “dialed in” just right, a fact that became even clearer when it happened a second time. My friend, bless his heart, has the patience of Job and promised to keep tinkering, but the idea of just buying the parts started to become a real possibility.

Still, the true value of this project isn't just in the final product. The journey—full of setbacks and problem-solving—is proving to be the real lesson. It's about patience, perseverance, and, most importantly, making connections. I'm heading to a star party tonight and hope to get some advice from a friend named Bert, who has experience printing similar parts.

It’s a good reminder that every problem is an opportunity to learn something new or meet someone who can help. And who knows, maybe the connections I make will be more important than the telescope itself. Finally, and most important, it helps me to be much more empathetic and compassionate with students who are honestly trying their best but have some unexpected setbacks. Maybe that is the most important lesson……

This is a true story written by Chad Husting with the assistance of artificial intelligence.

Beyond the Blueprint: Creating a Galaxy - Post 2

Shakers and Telescopes

I once had the opportunity to visit a Shaker community. I was shocked to discover that the Shakers were truly a cutting edge group of people. The Shakers were prolific with inventions, technology and patents. Shakers had more patents and inventions than any other people hands down. Every time they did anything that had moments where everyone would sit in a circle, examine the new invention (we are talking everything from seed packets to washing machines and brooms) . One question prevailed. How can we make it better? Everyone had a say. We are still using some of their inventions to this day.

What does this have to do with telescope building? I sat in on an online meeting at Analog Sky. The president of the company was presenting new idea called the “Bloom Telescope”. I had not idea what it was and was clearly out of my league. It did not matter. Participants from all over the world listened patiently and asked questions and provided answers. It was encouraging problem solving for a small company that was trying to do and build something new that had never been built. It was hopeful and exciting. It was science in action bringing people together to solve problems and deal with challenges in a supportive way.

My goal is to recreate the same environment and experience by building the telescope “Ember”. I plan on taking a journey with students. We will be learning and building together. I will keep you posted….

Beyond the Blueprint: Creating a Galaxy - Post 1

Our culture has never been more polarized. Polarization leads to vitriol behavior. Vitriol behavior and excessive consumerism can continue a bad cycle. The cycle can stop if normal people try to do good acts.

Can a people work together? Can this work be difficult? Can the work be for a greater good? I would like to answer yes to all of these. My plan is telescope building. Let me explain….

I have taught science for over 30 + years and will be retiring soon. Once a science teacher, always a science teacher. I have decided to return to an old hobby…astronomy and telescope building. Why?

First, I have found a forum of people who seem to be working together, doing hard things, making stuff and sharing it with the public. It is called “Analog Sky”. Yes, it is a company. No, I do not receive any freebies for saying nice things about them. Analog Sky has programs that allow people to build simple and complicated telescopes. I plan to go on the somewhat complicated side. My hope is to involve as many students as possible, learn new things, help others learn, bring people together and most importantly empower young students. Most of the materials are going to be made through a 3D printer…something I know NOTHING about…..It should be fun and frustrating.

Ground Rules - The biggest ground rule is “Nothing Negative”. If you are looking for negative views, comments or actions go somewhere else. There is plenty of that elsewhere.

Rule #2 - No sponsors. What you see is what you get.

Can one person change the world by making a telescope? Maybe, maybe not. But what if I could help just one person and that person makes all the difference in the world.