Review by Nimuthu Pathiraja (Web Content Team)
Master. Stephan Brannon is no stranger within school. His promising inventions which are unique yet useful innovations have received great praise. Several of Master Stephan’s previous inventions were felicitated on our college website. (https://trinitycollege.lk/2022/09/23/trinitys-young-inventor-an-interview-with-brannon-stephan/) His greatest invention yet, Stephan’s love for astronomy resulted in him making a special telescope.
This refractor-telescope was hand-made by Stephan himself. Initially using watch dials and lenses from broken cameras, he eventually made his dream come true. The uniqueness of this invention is due to it being powerful yet affordable. His grit and determination resulted in it being produced from the following materials. The paramount fact was that all of the materials used were homemade.
- Finder scope
- Focuser
- Diagonal
- Finderscope Tube
- Eyepieces
- Barlow lenses
- Adjustable solar filter
- Sola Filter
- IR/UV Filter
Built from homemade and easily resourced materials, the telescope is a testament to ingenuity and resourcefulness as it is constructed primarily from PVC pipes and salvageable lenses old cameras.
Despite the materials not being of international quality, it is fit to mention that this model is quite powerful, boasting of a focal length of 700m and an aperture of 50mm, enabling magnification facilities to an impressive 350x (without additional lenses.)
Stephan’s genuine interest and passion for astronomy led to something which we can surely be proud of. He celebrates the noteworthy praise received by the famous American astronomer and planetary scientist, Henry Throop. Throop was so impressed by this remarkable feat that he posted a note of praise for Stephan on his Social Media accounts. (Henry Throop – I was giving a talk today at the Arthur C… | Facebook. The telescope shows a clear view of planets: Saturn, Jupiter, the moon and even the sun which could be considered a remarkable achievement, considering the cheap cost incurred to produce this telescope.
We congratulate Master. Stephan Brannon on this wonderful invention. It is an attestation to his resolve, perseverance and tenacity. A special note of thanks goes to Mr. Subash Dhanasekara and Mr. Wasana Dissanayake for their support and direction to make this innovation a success.
Brannon is grateful to his parents for giving him the freedom to explore his creative skills and encouraging him to mastermind scientific inventions.
We wish Stephan all the best in his future endeavors and look forward to seeing novel pieces of work in the future.
