Its not every day we get to follow the build of a 40″ telescope from start to end. Here we are at the very beginnings of what will become a quite magnificent metre class telescope for Mike K of Victoria.

The blank is currently sat upside-down on Mike Lockwood’s grinding machine and about to have it’s back ground perfectly flat before the long job of grinding and polishing the front surface to perfection.

Mike’s telescope will be an incredible f3.0 so it will certainly be a challenge for everyone involved to bring this beauty to life both optically and mechanically. Thankfully for him, there are craftsmen on two continents capable of the job, stripped and ready for action!

Watch this space for updates…