Update 12/23.2025: Telescope Ordered — Project Moving Forward

I’m happy to share a concrete milestone.

Using the funds raised through this campaign, I have now placed a down payment and formal order with New Moon Telescopes for a 12.5-inch f/4.5 handcrafted Dobsonian with a Zambuto primary, which is currently in the final stages of completion.

The funds raised fully cover the telescope itself and its core accessories, and the instrument is now officially under contract. Over the coming months, the remaining balance will be settled as the telescope is completed and tested.

As part of the build, I will also fund the addition of a Nexus StarDrive computerized GoTo and real-time tracking system, which will allow the telescope to automatically locate objects and smoothly compensate for Earth’s rotation—an essential feature for educational use and public outreach.

This marks an important transition for the project — from planning and fundraising to fabrication and delivery.

I will share additional updates as the build progresses, including final assembly and first light. For transparency, the fundraiser will remain open so supporters can continue to follow the project.

The essential goal — securing a world-class telescope for education and outreach — has been achieved. Thank you again for helping turn an idea into a real instrument that will soon be under the night sky and inspiring students.

— Mike

A New Path to a World-Class Telescope for Students

Over the past several weeks, this fundraiser has taken an extraordinary journey — one shaped entirely by your generosity and support. The campaign originally began when I was unexpectedly given the chance to purchase a rare Astro-Physics refractor after 26 years on their waiting list. Thanks to the remarkable donations that followed, the campaign quickly reached just over $10,000.

Although I ultimately could not meet the full amount required for that refractor and its mount, the purpose of this fundraiser has never changed:

to bring a truly exceptional telescope into service for education and outreach, and ultimately donate it to my hometown high school in Somerset, where my lifelong love of astronomy first began.

With that mission guiding the way, a remarkable opportunity arose.

Through conversations with Ryan Goodson, owner of New Moon Telescopes, I learned that he had just completed a handcrafted 12.5-inch f/4.5 Dobsonian, equipped with a quartz primary mirror made by Carl Zambuto — one of the most respected optical artisans in the world.

For those unfamiliar, Zambuto mirrors are revered for their precision, contrast, and thermal stability. In shifting toward this instrument, the project has moved from one world-class craftsman to another, now centered on a uniquely crafted parabolic mirror capable of breathtaking deep-sky performance.

The funds already raised are sufficient to secure this telescope.

Over the next several years, I will use it for hands-on science outreach, giving students and families the chance to explore planets, nebulae, and galaxies with extraordinary clarity. In 2029, the telescope will be donated to the Somerset Berkley Regional High School astronomy program — bringing a world-class instrument back to the community that first inspired me.

The fundraiser will remain open for transparency and for anyone who wishes to follow the project as it unfolds. There is absolutely no pressure to give. Your support has already made the essential part of this vision possible.

From the bottom of my heart — thank you.

This project has evolved in a way I never could have predicted: not as a disappointment, but as a testament to craftsmanship, community support, and the enduring value of science education.

I cannot wait for the night when a student looks through this quartz mirror and sees Saturn’s rings, Jupiter’s storms, or a distant galaxy for the very first time.

That moment will happen because of you.

— Mike