Teenager Builds His Own Telescope And Takes Stunning Photos Of Space

When boredom strikes as a teenager, it's a lot different than when boredom strikes as an adult.

The main factor? Time. Take this Australian 18-year-old named Jonah Scott, for example. Instead of staring into a flat screen TV or talking into a gaming headset, Scott decided to do himself one better.

He designed and built his own telescope from scratch after teaching himself how.

According to BuzzFeed, this amateur astronomer built his very first telescope at the young age of 15.

He's able to use his diesel fitter skills and apply them to his passion for astronomy to build out his telescopes.

Scott says,

There is so much unknown in space so I was kind of intrigued to know what kind of things were out there after seeing the amazing photos of it in books and stuff.

But where does he get the parts to build his own telescopes? I mean, it's a telescope, not an entire wall built out of Legos. Apparently Scott is able to use pieces he finds around the house combined with what he gets online and at astronomy shops.

Once he learned enough about telescopes and how they work, he went on to build his first one. These days, his photos using his most recent telescope are so good, they could be the wallpaper on your MacBook!

Scott added,

I love how the universe is so staggeringly massive that it blows your mind when you try to comprehend it.

Check out the photos below for a closer look.

The amateur astronomer is from Cecil Plains in Queensland, Australia.

Scott began making his homemade telescopes from mocking models in magazines.

He says, "once I worked out the basic principle of how telescopes work, designing my own was pretty easy."

So far, he's built five and has been able to capture stunning photos of planets, comets and the Milky Way.

Just like with most hobbies, his interest in outer space grew as he got older.

Now he's able to capture breathtaking images you'd think were photoshopped.

Scott's still finding ways to advance his astronomy practices.

His next project will feature a high-altitude balloon that will allow him to get his lens even closer to space.

Despite the fact that he clearly loves astronomy, Scott doesn't see himself taking on the field professionally.

Regardless, he should at least keep an Instagram account going! Keep up with Scott's photography at AstroBin.

And check out this awesome news feature on Jonah below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bSJHLvx5kEc

Citations: This Aussie Teen Built A Telescope And His Pictures Of Space Are Breathtaking (BuzzFeed)