Amateur Telescope Making (ATM)  Activities in TAAS

The Amateur Telescope Making workshop is now in operation. The workshop meets the first Wednesday of each month at 7PM at Manzano Mesa Multigenerational Facility, 501 Elizabeth Ave, Albuquerque, NM 87123 in Room 3. The center is located at the southwest corner of Elizabeth and Southern. Elizabeth is about halfway between Juan Tabo and Eubank. Southern is the first major street south of Central. Southern is also the street that runs along the south side of Costco. Room 3 is the first room on the right as you walk in the main entrance of the facility.

Call (505) 238-6060 or send email to atm@taas.org for more information.

Mike Pendley testing a mirror

 

Photo by By Bill Murphy.  Full story

After a long absence, The Albuquerque Astronomical Society (TAAS) again became active in the area of Amateur Telescope Making (ATM) in the FALL of 1994 -- when John Dobson conducted a telescope making class that many TAAS members attended.

John infected several TAAS members with the ATM bug.  Mike Pendley organized the first class in 1995 and held classes 1-2 times a year through 1999.  In 2000, Mike teamed up with Ray Collins, a Valley High School physics teacher, and changed the format of ATM instruction from a class structure to an ongoing workshop format.

The workshop format allows students to work at their own pace.  Students attend when they have time and when they need advice on what to do next, need help testing their optics, or need to access ATM resources.

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