When Dr Koechlin and his team pointed it at Mars they could distinguish that planet's two tiny moons a task which would require a Newtonian telescope with a mirror at least 30cm across.

ECONOMIST: The search for alien life

Via astronomer Salman Hameed at Irtiqa, this encouraging item from the Express Tribune about a young student in Okara, Pakistan, who built his own Newtonian telescope from scratch.

FORBES: Pakistani Recreates Newton's Telescope