Portable Telescope for Amateur Astronomy

Thesis Project - Master Course "Design & Engineering"

Politecnico di Milano - 2018

ASTRO

“Space is for everybody. It’s not just for a few people in science or math, or for a select group of astronauts. That’s our new rontier out there, and it’s everybody’s business to know about space.” — Christa McAuliffe, Challenger Astronaut

Astronomy is world’s oldest Science. Historical records of astronomical measurements date back as far as Mesopotamia nearly 5000 years ago, with later observations made by the ancient Chinese, Babylonians, and Greeks. In the beginning, the first practical function of astronomy was to provide a basis for the calendar, the units of month and year being determined by astronomical observations. Later on, astronomy served in navigation and timekeeping. Nowadays, we are lucky enough to be living a so called “New Space Race”: from Moon landings to Interstellar Tesla Roadsters, it is clear Astronomy is not longer just used for timekeeping, but also for amusement. Is it no longer suited only for a selected group of people, but for everyone who is curious enough to wonder about life itself.

When we think about Astronomy, the first thing that comes to mind are the stunning photos from the Hubble Space Telescope or close-up images of the planets taken by various space probes. What most people don’t realize, is that even though one won’t be able to see celestial objects as sharp as they are on those pictures, acquiring a telescope can be a decision that brings multiple joys. By meticulously analyzing the travelscope market, and by studying the Amateur Astronomer imaginary I was able to identify a lack of options for the new comers in the subject.

Astronomy should be fun, easy and suited for everyone regardless their age or scientific knowledge. With that in mind, plus the emergence of a renovated interest about space, my dissertation thesis addresses the subject by developing a compact, lightweight, portable and high-quality user-friendly telescope for the beginner astronomer. A telescope with which new people to this amazing hobby will have a better chance of seeing the universe, rather than be frustrated due to the technical nature of heavy-duty telescopes.

The research highlighted there are few portable telescopes, and when available, they show clear misunderstanding of what beginner’s needs and capabilities really are.

After interviewing experts on the fi eld and users themselves, and benchmarking the current telescope market offer, I believe there is a clear lack of travel scopes for amateur beginner astronomy, with the capability of providing a semi-automated trackingbof celestial objects (clear problem for begginers in the subject).

As the name states, a “travel scope” is designed for traveling. Bearing this in mind, most travel scopes are compact, and feature a tripod which usually fi ts inside a backpack for easy transport and storage.

Several companies have taken the Portable Telescope challenge and succeeded but the quality and the performance of those telescopes are always undermined. But why? My research has pointed me towards believing that the main issue behind the failure of travel scopes is the lack of a portable EQ mount.

The Equatorial mount will be design as simple as possible, reducing not only the number of components but also its use to the very essential steps. Therefore, the mount will consist of four separate parts:
1) 360° turning platform in order to fi nd north
2) 90° pivot/arm in order to set the current location
3) 360° motorized platform for Right Ascension tracking
4) 90° pivot/arm in order for Declination

Design a professional Newtonian reflector telescope for the beginner astronomer.
The scope will be suited for traveling purposes with an equatorial mount in which
the tracking of the RA* coordinates is motorized. (*RA: Right Ascension)

Project Requirements

Type of mount
Benchmarking has highlighted that there are insuffi cient (or none) equatorial mounted travel scopes. So, for that matter, the mount type will be Equatorial (German type).

User-Friendly
The project should feature a smooth mount with an easy Polar Alignment mechanism for non technical users.

Resolution
This telescope should provide clear views of the Moon, nearby planets of the solar system and small star clusters (such as The Pleyades).

Battery life
Since the context will be that of a non-polluted sky (ie. away from big cities) the kit should come with a long-lasting battery, enough to power the device on an astronomy session.

In order to fulfill every user need, Astro features an universal adaptor which is able to work the needs of every possible scenario. Three complete different "Contexts of use" have been identified and benched:

- CONTEXT 1 > No Gear

- CONTEXT 2 > Semi Equipped

- CONTEXT 3 > Fully Equipped

Is there anything better than sleeping under the stars? Don’t think so. Whether camping locally or embarking on a short adventure, Astro guarantees a full astronomy experience while backpacking.

Getting to distant places away from city lights is no longer a problem. The list of stargazing destinations you can get by plane on 2018 is infinite, but of course, flying with this method has it disadvantages: luggage allowance.

After a throughout analysis of several airlines restrictions, Astro comes in a cabin-size luggage that is 50x20x35cm which allows every item necessary for an astronomy session to fit inside perfectly.

Full-size professional tripods come in very different sizes, shapes and costs which makes Astro the perfect buddy for road trips.

The case itself is rotomolded for better durability. Both cases are made of a durable, 6-millimeter thick ABS wall which provide optimum bump resistance for the traveller. Moreover, a water seal is sandwiched in between the lid and box to keep out moisture, in this way, becomes rust-proof unlike traditional metal tool boxes.

Once everything is in place, the lid of the suitcase is pressed against the water seal and closed using the side locks, leaving the briefcase sealed, secured and ready for the astronomy trip.

Astro is the ultimate portable astronomy telescope. The briefcase comes in one size which has been design to work out any airline restriction (luggage-wise) and to carry all your astronomy essentials including a stable monopod for wilderness scenarios.

All the necessary elements can be stored inside of the suitcase. The center area of the suitcase is saved for the scope, which can be gently placed onto the semi-circular stand and the latched to the bottom of the case for a secure transportation.

The actual EQ mount on the other hand, is placed (with all coordinates at zero) next to the portable counterweight into a tray that holds perfectly in place all of its components. The polyurethane present on the tray is a custom made case works as a protective cushion, guaranteeing the safe and smooth transportation of Astro tools.

The smartphone will provide the user with an easy way to set-up the telescope wherever they are. When accurately Polar Aligning the scope, only the Right Ascension control is needed to track the object across the sky; no further adjustment of Declination will be necessary.

But, if users are experiencing tracking issues or severe star-trailing in their images, it may be useful to re-check Polar alignment later on, specially if their current position does not match Polaris in the mobile app.

Since this is a beginner’s telescope, most of the setting up features such as Magnetic Pole, Latitude and Declination might not be 100% accurate. At this point, with all the coordinates lock and secured, users will go one more time through all of them, but this time, aided by his phone or tablet.

The goal is to find Polaris, so with that in mind, the objective should be pointed at Ursa Minor. It will be probably be off by a few degrees, so the challenge is to understand which coordinate is incorrect (latitude, declination or right ascension).

Of course, by the time the setting up was done, the sky might have moved a few seconds or minutes on the RA plane, so the first step will be to locate the RA coordinate of Polaris and fast track to it. Once achieved, by unlocking both Declination and the Mount Base, the user will need to shift and adjust the Mount will the North Star appears both on the screen an on the eyepiece.

Is important to remember that all coordinates are well-known in advance. That is to say, the information regarding the location for a particular astronomy session can be found out before the night falls. This means the user can set the latitude into the mount before it gets dark when it might not be as easy.

PARTS & ASSEMBLY

One of the biggest challenges while designing a portable equatorial mount was the fact that they are commonly fabricated for heavy-duty scopes. This translates in a lot of weight and raw material (such as aluminium or steel) which is one of the main reasons why plastic injection was chosen as fabrication method for almost every component of the mount.

Bearing this in mind, the product was designed with the one-rule of limiting the amount of parts that should be injected in order to reduce the number of molds and therefore, reduce tooling costs. As the number of parts goes down, the total cost of fabricating and assembling the product goes down as well. Costs related to purchasing, stocking, and servicing also go down as the number of parts are reduced.

In order to simplify assembly of the different cases and bodies, each part has been provided with chamfers and tapers. Since each different body (Lower Mount, Motor Case and Upper Mount) can be assembled separately before they are joint to form the mount, the total time on the assembly line is minimized because each body can be manufactured and tested before final assembly.

What is more, several components have been standardized to facilitate design, and as it is clear from the next image, exotic components have been limited to the essentials parts which gives the product a unique aesthetic.

EASE OF USE

As an amateur astronomer myself, I find that telescopes are a “high-end instrument” which is not adapted for a beginner user. In fact, many users who are just doing their first steps into Astronomy find themselves astonished, frustrated and beaten down by an object that is no user friendly at all.

My design, simplifies the Polar Alignment by reducing the procedure to it basic steps. Honestly, I believe there are no such products in the market at the moment. Not only because there are no beginner telescopes with an RA tracking system, but -specially- because this particular telescope is mistake friendly.

While setting-up the mount there will be mistakes, there will be several of them. This is why using this Telescope will be an experience of both joy and enlightenment for beginners in Astronomy because it will grow on them as they learn the mysteries of the night-sky on their own.