Travel Telescope 114 Build Kit

This was such a fun learning experience! I’ve been doing astrophotography for over five years, but never got to actually do a hands-on build and this was perfect. The instructions were super easy to follow along, and it was a really fun process. I also love that the telescope is super portable and I could take it with me wherever I go.

Really easy project that allows you to understand the operation of a reflector telescope. In addition, the design for a portable assembly is perfect for hiking to those great dark areas. The community is also amazing sharing all the mods and improvements to the original designed. I've been caught up upgrading it and I only had it for less than a month. Thank you!

I recently completed the 114mm/900mm Travel Telescope build from Northern Scientific, and I honestly could not be happier with how it turned out. The design is incredibly clever, lightweight, and surprisingly capable for a fully 3D printed Newtonian reflector.

The assembly process was a fantastic learning experience. Building the telescope myself gave me a much deeper understanding of telescope optics, collimation, and even focuser mechanics. The hardware kit was well thought out and included everything needed to complete the optical assembly.

What impressed me most was how modular and customizable the design is. I was able to pair it with a different mount setup, experiment with accessories, and even begin upgrading components like the focuser for astrophotography use.

Most importantly: the telescope performs. First light on the Moon was breathtaking: razor sharp crater detail and far brighter than I expected from a portable 114mm scope.

Friends and family who have seen the telescope in person immediately commented on how futuristic and professional it looks. The truss design and compact form factor make it feel like something straight out of a sci-fi movie while still being fully functional and portable.

This project perfectly balances:
education
engineering
portability
real observing capability

Highly recommended for anyone interested in DIY telescope building, 3D printing, or learning how telescopes actually work instead of just buying one off the shelf. Huge thanks to Northern Scientific for making this project accessible.

Very cool telescope, was a lot of fun putting this together! The parts are easy to print and everything went together perfectly, you can tell a lot of thought was put into it. If you are getting the 3D printing kit, don't make the same mistake as me and use the correct kind of glue for the secondary mirror, it might cause problems and result in a poor image. The views were incredible after getting that fixed though!

#1086
i got this to be my main astrophotography telescope, and so far its been a blast. ive been able to learn so much and ive even made my own accessories, the extrusion makes it easy to design around, its definitely a great starter scope if you want to try astrophotography, especially if you have a tracking mount. if i had one thing to knock off points for, the focuser could be a bit tighter, as it can wobble when adjusting

I had my first travel telescope all picked out and when I happened across a post for this telescope on Reddit. Im so happy I did! I would have enjoyed the store bought telescope but ordering the 450mm parts kit and printing all the other parts myself has been an absolute joy! Assembly was super easy as well. I can't wait to take it on its first dark skys adventure in a few months! If you have ANY interest in a travel telescope I would strongly suggest considering this kit. I am incredibly grateful that this was my initiation into this hobby!

Love this telescope! The parts were very simple to 3D print and the assembly guide was helpful for putting it all together. The hardware was all included, which meant no extra ordering off of Amazon to find extra hardware! Overall took around 2-3 days to print all the parts, and only an hour or two for assembly. The performance was great, exactly what I was needing for my hobby telescope. Looking forward to using this telescope in the future, will be keeping an eye out for future kits as well!

I’ve had a great time using this travel telescope and learning more about how telescopes work through assembling it myself. I was genuinely impressed by how easy it was to set up and how great the views are, especially for something compact enough to fit in a backpack that has a focal length to see such detail on the moon and even other planets. I’ve paired it with my DSLR using a T-ring adapter, and the process of mounting and unmounting the camera is super smooth. There has been no issues with focus or clarity, taking my camera beyond any of my lens capacity to 900mm focal length. Overall, it’s a fantastic telescope for anyone looking for a portable setup that doesn’t compromise on quality.

This travel telescope build kit from North Star Scientific is awesome! I learned a lot about how a telescope works by assembling it, and the performance is fantastic. The 114mm mirror provides a very clear image, and the moon looks amazing through it!! It’s also super easy to compact for easy traveling, like within a backpack. Overall I am very impressed with the quality, performance, and portability of the telescope. The assembly instructions were clear and very detailed. Although there were a few steps that took me a little longer to get right, it was very manageable and a great learning experience. I would highly recommend this telescope to beginners or even more advanced astronomers looking for a super portable option. I’m excited to keep using it and explore the night sky!

This is a good telescope but unfortunately not for my purposes.

I am a DSLR/mirrorless user with an APS-C sensor, which is substantially larger than many of the significant smaller ZWO cameras used for typical astro. The coma makes this telescope borderline unusable. When paired with my friends ZWO however, it seemed to do just fine. So I will say, while it is a great telescope, very portable, easy to bring around, maybe a bit difficult to fit into a backpack but doable, I wouldn't recommend this to anyone who has nothing but a standard camera. You will not get usable photos out of this telescope, and you will struggle to focus the 900mm. A Barlow may help but you will still need to crop down, as the edges will still be distorted even with a 2x Barlow. I don't have a more accurate mount to test the actual performance of the 900mm unfortunately, but the coma was visible in live view. This is to be expected as even an APS-C sensor is ginormous when compared to a ZWO, but it is a big shortcoming to be aware of.

Just to reiterate, I would only recommend this telescope to those doing solely optical viewing or those with very small sensors.

I recently picked up this travel telescope, and I’m thrilled with its performance! The 114 mm diameter mirror really shines when it comes to clarity—I've been able to see details on the moon and even some planets, which is just amazing.

- First off, it’s super portable, which is exactly what you want in a travel telescope. It’s lightweight and compact, so I can easily take it on trips in a backpack or lift it in one hand and set it up in my backyard for a quick session.
- I found the assembly and collimation process to be straightforward. It’s user-friendly, so even beginners will have no trouble getting it set up and ready for use.
- I also have to give a shout-out to the developer. They were incredibly responsive and helped me out quickly when I had questions. It’s nice to know there’s support available.

Now, a couple of things to consider: the height of the telescope is quite low compared to traditional telescopes. I found myself either sitting on the ground or on top of a small stool. Also since it’s made of two joined pieces, it does wobble a bit more than sturdier models like the Hadley. Neither of these are a deal-breaker, but something to keep in mind.

Overall, despite these minor quirks, it's a remarkable piece of hardware. It’s a fantastic way to explore the night sky without dealing with heavy gear. Clear skies!

A bit pricey for being 3D printed, but, works beautifully!

I was both surprised (I didn't realize it was 3D printed.) and impressed with it! I paid extra for an assembled unit...I was worried about collimation, came aligned nicely.

I will build a case to protect it. Can't wait to travel with it!

Excellent so far 😃

I have had the pleasure to use this kit a few times, and it really is a great scope! it's so compact and light, it's perfect for travel. Paired with the right eyepiece, it's amazing just how much you can see! Its beginner friendly and high quality so whether it's your first scope, or you're adding one to the collection, you will be pleased with its performance!

Well made kit. The parts all printed well as-designed, and the instructions are very complete and simple to follow. The parts kit included everything needed besides the printed parts.

The telescope itself works well and fits in a backpack when disassembled.

This product is great! Not only is it really easy to assemble but instructions are very clearly laid out with how to put it together. It stores really nicely and compacts to a good size that makes it easy to travel with. The best part is the clearness of the scope it self, it does a really nice job of seeing the night sky. So if your someone who wants to travel with a scope, wants a great view of the night sky, this product is for you!

A great, inexpensive way to get into telescope building. I bought the kit and printed the parts myself, everything went together nicely. Shipping was fast. First night after assembling, was able to look clearly at the moon. Looking forward to using it more and becoming better at utilizing it.