Amateurs shoot lunar photos using DIY telescope  

湖北三小伙用PVC管自制天文望远镜看清月球表面(图)

(ECNS) -- Three amateur astronomers in China's Hubei province have built an astronomical telescope which can be used to view and take photos of the moon's surface.[Special coverage]

The three young men named Gao Lei, Yu Shifan and Min Jie said they had spent two and a half years and 5000 yuan (US$820) to make the telescope.

Resembling a large telephoto lens, the telescope has an 1800mm focal length and weighs 13 kilograms.

"The telescope has an 80mm aperture, so using a 40mm eyepiece allows us view the moon," said Gao.

"We are all amateur astronomers. We didn't want buy an astronomical telescope, so we finally decided to make one ourselves," Gao added.

In the photos, craters on the moon and the Great Red Spot on Jupiter can be clearly seen.

"These pictures are clear and of good quality," said Gao Buxi, an expert at the Astronomy Society of Hubei province.

Yu Shifan said their next plan is to make a wide angle telescope.