Getting a closer look at the Moon isn’t particularly difficult; even an absolute beginner can point a cheap telescope towards our nearest celestial neighbor and get some impressive views. But… ...

This “Portabowl” telescope uses two bowls epoxied together and weighted at the bottom as the core of the build. The mirror mounts inside the ball, and some supports are attached to it to hold ...

This is the Musashi 500, a do-it-yourself mirror telescope made of vinyl chloride pipes, a 21-inch metal pot and some custom-made wood and metal parts.

It was tough to pick the best, wildest, most creative reader projects of the year, but Dan Duriscoe's binocular telescope blew us away. Here are three other DIY projects that play with light.

Landman studied telescope design and ultimately learned how to build them from scratch. Now, he enjoys sharing that lifelong passion with his 15-year-old daughter Leané.