LINKS
PARTICIPANTS
A sample cast of characters
DAISY SIGHT
Make an inexpensive reflex finder RATDATA
Easily analyze Foucault test data
SCOPE FAN
Beat the Heat and improve seeing DOBDRIVER
Advice on installing a Dob Driver 2

The RATs are the Riverside Astronomical Telescope Makers. They are a group of telescope makers who are members of the Riverside Astronomical Society (RAS).

From this page you can explore some of the projects that the RATS have developed including:

History of the RATS

The RATS are the latest in a long line of telescope makers from the Riverside area. In his biography of Russell W. Porter, Berton C. Willard states:

"Porter and his friends continued to extend their interest in telescope making beyond the Green Mountain State. During the spring of 1927 they received word from California that another amateur club had been formed at Riverside. This was one of the first clubs founded for the purpose of making telescopes after Stellafane was created. Their hobby had spanned the entire continent in four years."

In 1995 the RATs were organized to teach telescope making skills to RAS members. The first project that the RATS started was the making of five 6 inch telescopes for the club public outreach program. They ground and figured the mirrors, and built Dobsonian style mountings for them. They achieved their goal of having the telescopes ready for the 1997 Hale-Bopp comet expeditions. Since then, they have been placed in service of the public outreach program of the RAS. Many school children in the Inland Empire will have their first astronomical experience at the eyepiece of one of these scopes. This project received a Merit Award at the 1997 Riverside Telescope Makers Conference.

Through the years, the RATs have continued to work on telescope construction, and have also started to contribute to the art and science of telescope making. Among the significant contributions are three that have received Merit Awards at the Riverside Telescope Makers Convention. These include a Foucault tester which uses a television system to display the results of a wire test, knife-edge test, or Ronchigram. Another award winner was an extremely simple device that can accurately and quickly align the optical elements of a newtonian. Both were designed and built by Kurt Sutton, a machinist-RAT. The third significant contribution was RATDATA, a spreadsheet that greatly simplifies the results of Foucault testing. This was developed by Steve Meyering and Alex McConahay.  

The RATS meet at Steve Meyering's telescope making shop at 7:30 p.m. one Thursday a month. (Click Calendar for actual date this month from the Riverside Astronomical Society Calendar). They welcome visitors who are interested in learning about telescope making. Contact Alex McConahay for details about meeting times and directions. Return to top of page.

What's New

The following is a list of recent additions to our web. Whenever we build a telescope, grind a mirror, write a paper, or add anything else to our web, we'll put a notice here.