Low-Cost D60 Galilean Telescope

This is a DIY 3D-printable Galilean Refractor Telescope (D60 / F900) built around a standard 60mm PVC tube. It is designed to be an ultra-budget project, costing less than €30 to complete.

While it allows you to observe the Moon, Jupiter's moons, and the rings of Saturn, please note that the resolution remains relatively low. I am publishing this model primarily as a reference; I am not convinced it is worth replicating exactly as-is, but it serves as foundation for modifications.

Note: I am currently working on a much more robust Newtonian telescope project featuring a D150F750 mirror and a custom-built mount for far more precise adjustments, with universal smartphone support

Key Features & Capabilities

• Visual & Astrophotography: You can look directly through the eyepiece with your eye, or attach a smartphone to capture photos.

• Phone Mounts: The files include custom adapters tailored specifically for the Samsung Galaxy S21+ and Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra.

• Focusing Mount: Features an integrated, adjustable eyepiece holder to easily dial in the focus.

• Red Dot Finder Upgrade: Includes a Picatinny rail adapter mounted on the tube, allowing you to attach a standard holographic red-dot finder to easily locate targets in the night sky.

Known Limitations

• Mounting Stability: The telescope is designed to mount onto the dovetail of a photographic tripod. This is the biggest technical flaw of this specific design: because the center of gravity sits above the tripod's pivot point, the telescope has a strong tendency to tip over if tilted too far.

• Smartphone mount : I am not working on this design anymore but I may put a universal phone mount in the files in the future. The results I had with it in prototyping were not very practical but it worked, so who knows !

Bill of Materials (BOM)

To build this telescope, you will need:

• Optics:

  • 1x 60mm diameter objective lens with a 900mm focal length (easily found cheap on websites like AliExpress, I bought from cunqi store there but other options are available).

  • Standard telescope eyepieces. (Personal tip: I use a Barlow lens combined with a large-diameter eyepiece to improve visual results, though this specific combination does not support smartphone photography).

• Structural Tube:

  • 1x Standard PVC pipe (60mm outer diameter).

• Hardware & Fasteners:

  • Heat-set threaded inserts and matching screws to lock the printed parts and components securely into position.

  • 1x Photography tripod.