Writing a thesis can be quite challenging, leading many students to procrastinate, and finding different distractions to postpone the task. For Kacper Łobodecki, his hobby of building a telescope served as such distraction.

– After discussions with my supervisor, I managed to change the topic of my thesis. As a result, constructing the telescope and its accompanying system was not only fascinating and enjoyable but also allowed me to complete my studies – says the graduate in geoinformatics. 

The thesis primarily focused on creating an application with an interactive sky map, capable of calculating the positions of objects in the observer's local sky and facilitating two-way communication with the telescope.

– The motivation for choosing this topic was the desire to quicken the process of locating objects during sky observations and facilitate prolonged observations of specific objects by mitigating Earth's rotational movement – explains Kacper Łobodecki. 

The telescope is equipped with sensors, a GPS receiver, and special motors that assist in the calibration process and conducting observations. – All communication takes place via WiFi, and the device is powered by a battery, so you can confidently ‘go with it into the field' – highlights Kacper Łobodecki.

The result of the work is a fully functional astronomical instrument, which, combined with the developed geoinformatic software supporting observation, constitutes a ready-made platform for conducting both hobbyist and scientific research.

The thesis titled „Construction of a Newtonian telescope with a geoinformatic system supporting astronomical observations” was supervised by Robert Olszewski, PhD, associate professor.

Kacper obtained his engineering degree in early February and is currently a student of Computer Science at the Faculty of Electronics and Information Technology (specialization: Intelligent Systems).