For most of us who are not astronomers, the image that comes to mind when describing a reflecting telescope is of a huge instrument in its own domed-roof building on a mountain top. But a reflecting telescope doesn’t have to be large at all, as shown by the small-but-uncompromising design from [Lucas Sifoni].

Using an off-the-shelf mirror kit with a 76mm diameter and a 300mm focal length, he’s made a pair of 3D-printed frames that are joined by carbon fibre rods. The eyepiece and mirror assembly sit in the front 3D-printed frame, and the eyepiece is threaded so the telescope can be focused. There’s a 3D-printed azimuth-elevation mount, and once assembled, the whole thing is extremely compact.

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