14-year-old student in central China builds telescope to observe moon craters

A 14-year-old middle school student from Zhengzhou, Central China's Henan Province, built a Newtonian telescope from discarded plastic pipes, parts of a drum set, and other materials, all for just 70 yuan ($9.6), enabling clear observation of the moon's surface, domestic news site china.com reported.

The student, named Ma Junhe, dreamed of exploring the moon from a young age. After learning about telescope construction during a physics practical class, he decided to construct his own astronomical telescope.

With limited pocket money at his disposal, he could only afford to buy the lenses online, while the other components had to be crafted using waste materials and repurposed items. For example, the telescope tube was made from a discarded plastic pipe, and the mount came from parts of his personal drum set.

Following over a dozen failed attempts, he succeeded in constructing a Newtonian telescope capable of clearly viewing the moon's surface, all at a cost of just 70 yuan ($9.6).

Ma said that the moment he saw the craters on the moon's surface, it felt like his dream had come true, and he now aspires to visit the moon someday. 

“That's incredible! The teacher only wanted him to see the FU Tower, an attraction in Zhengzhou, but Ma ended up seeing the moon's craters," Ma’s classmates said admirably, according to the report.

Although Ma failed more than a dozen times before succeeding, he remained persistent and never found the process dull, "because I'm exploring what I love," Ma said.