· Get a Cloudy Nights T-Shirt · Submit a Review / Article    Click here if you are having trouble logging into the forums Cloudy Nights - Official Forums of the 2009 International Year of Astronomy Privacy Policy | Please read our Terms of Service | Signup and Troubleshooting FAQ | Problems? PM a Red or a Green Gu.... uh, User   You are not logged in. [Login] Forum Archives · Entrance · Main Index · Search · New user · Who's Online FAQ · Calendar Equipment Discussions >> Classic Telescopes Previous   Index   Next   Threaded   Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | (show all) Glassthrower Vendor - Galactic Stone & Ironworks Reged: 04/07/05 Posts: 16347 Loc: Kuiper Belt Re: AMAZING FULL MOON STAR PARTY!! [Re: trainsktg]       #1692510 - 06/30/07 08:12 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Keith, Open the image file in a program like Adobe PhotoShop or PaintShop and simply save the image as a .JPG Should work? -------------------- Michael Gilmer - Member of the Meteoritical Society & Collector of Falling Stars. Meteorites, Moon Rocks, Mars Rocks, Tektites, Fossils, Minerals, Crystals, & Trinitite. Post Extras:       Lew Chilton Pooh-Bah Reged: 10/20/05 Posts: 1010 Loc: SoCal Re: AMAZING FULL MOON STAR PARTY!! [Re: ngc2289]       #1692547 - 06/30/07 08:43 PM Attachment (248 downloads) Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Keith, You know, I can't recall wether it's Jon or John. The next time I talk to him, I'll ask. Pons is age 66 (2 years older than me), and, unlike me, he works out daily at the gym and is very proud of his physique. These next series of photos relate to his bigger refractor, which you can see in the following pictures. Every piece of it - except the optics - was built by a local precision machine shop to Pons' exacting specifications. You can imagine how expensive that must have been! In this first photo, Caveman is on the right setting up his 50mm Nippon Kogagu and the Pon's big lawn cannon is to the rear. Which is the 'grab 'n' go? -------------------- I don't get no respect, but my scopes do! ---------------------------------------------- 1961 Swift 60mm model 839 (2); 2003 TV-102/GM-8; 1959 8" f/6 Treckerscope; 1959 8" f/7.4 Murray Scope; 1959 Fecker Celestar-4; 1978 4" Edmund Astroscan; c. 1986 4-inch Celestron-Vixen SP-C102; c. 1950 20X60 Saturn spotting scope; 1963 7X50 Nippon Kogaku binoculars; Unitron #114 alt-az mount (Swifty-tron) Post Extras:       Lew Chilton Pooh-Bah Reged: 10/20/05 Posts: 1010 Loc: SoCal Re: AMAZING FULL MOON STAR PARTY!! [Re: Lew Chilton]       #1692559 - 06/30/07 08:49 PM Attachment (248 downloads) Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Here John is dwarfed by one of his many creations. This is probably his finest work. For the star party, the refractor employed an 8-inch f/19 George Carroll apochromat (3 elements) objective. Absolutely superb. Too bad the seeing didn't allow it to perform to its full potential. -------------------- I don't get no respect, but my scopes do! ---------------------------------------------- 1961 Swift 60mm model 839 (2); 2003 TV-102/GM-8; 1959 8" f/6 Treckerscope; 1959 8" f/7.4 Murray Scope; 1959 Fecker Celestar-4; 1978 4" Edmund Astroscan; c. 1986 4-inch Celestron-Vixen SP-C102; c. 1950 20X60 Saturn spotting scope; 1963 7X50 Nippon Kogaku binoculars; Unitron #114 alt-az mount (Swifty-tron) Post Extras:       Lew Chilton Pooh-Bah Reged: 10/20/05 Posts: 1010 Loc: SoCal Re: AMAZING FULL MOON STAR PARTY!! [Re: Lew Chilton]       #1692565 - 06/30/07 08:53 PM Attachment (210 downloads) Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Here's the other objective John uses in this refractor, a Zeiss 10-inch f/16 apochromat. This lens is over 80 years old. John built an adapter cell to accomodate either the 8-inch Carroll or the 10-inch Zeiss. -------------------- I don't get no respect, but my scopes do! ---------------------------------------------- 1961 Swift 60mm model 839 (2); 2003 TV-102/GM-8; 1959 8" f/6 Treckerscope; 1959 8" f/7.4 Murray Scope; 1959 Fecker Celestar-4; 1978 4" Edmund Astroscan; c. 1986 4-inch Celestron-Vixen SP-C102; c. 1950 20X60 Saturn spotting scope; 1963 7X50 Nippon Kogaku binoculars; Unitron #114 alt-az mount (Swifty-tron) Post Extras:       Lew Chilton Pooh-Bah Reged: 10/20/05 Posts: 1010 Loc: SoCal Re: AMAZING FULL MOON STAR PARTY!! [Re: Lew Chilton]       #1692567 - 06/30/07 08:55 PM Attachment (175 downloads) Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Even the finder scope on this OTA is a Zeiss, a 3-1/2 inch semi apochromat. -------------------- I don't get no respect, but my scopes do! ---------------------------------------------- 1961 Swift 60mm model 839 (2); 2003 TV-102/GM-8; 1959 8" f/6 Treckerscope; 1959 8" f/7.4 Murray Scope; 1959 Fecker Celestar-4; 1978 4" Edmund Astroscan; c. 1986 4-inch Celestron-Vixen SP-C102; c. 1950 20X60 Saturn spotting scope; 1963 7X50 Nippon Kogaku binoculars; Unitron #114 alt-az mount (Swifty-tron) Post Extras:       Lew Chilton Pooh-Bah Reged: 10/20/05 Posts: 1010 Loc: SoCal Re: AMAZING FULL MOON STAR PARTY!! [Re: Lew Chilton]       #1692581 - 06/30/07 09:01 PM Attachment (179 downloads) Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Another shot of the big gun with Caveman, left, and Pons, right. Caveman looks kinda reverent, doesn't he? -------------------- I don't get no respect, but my scopes do! ---------------------------------------------- 1961 Swift 60mm model 839 (2); 2003 TV-102/GM-8; 1959 8" f/6 Treckerscope; 1959 8" f/7.4 Murray Scope; 1959 Fecker Celestar-4; 1978 4" Edmund Astroscan; c. 1986 4-inch Celestron-Vixen SP-C102; c. 1950 20X60 Saturn spotting scope; 1963 7X50 Nippon Kogaku binoculars; Unitron #114 alt-az mount (Swifty-tron) Post Extras:       Lew Chilton Pooh-Bah Reged: 10/20/05 Posts: 1010 Loc: SoCal Re: AMAZING FULL MOON STAR PARTY!! [Re: Lew Chilton]       #1692586 - 06/30/07 09:03 PM Attachment (174 downloads) Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   I layed on my back to get this perspective of the tailpiece. Impressive, isn't it? -------------------- I don't get no respect, but my scopes do! ---------------------------------------------- 1961 Swift 60mm model 839 (2); 2003 TV-102/GM-8; 1959 8" f/6 Treckerscope; 1959 8" f/7.4 Murray Scope; 1959 Fecker Celestar-4; 1978 4" Edmund Astroscan; c. 1986 4-inch Celestron-Vixen SP-C102; c. 1950 20X60 Saturn spotting scope; 1963 7X50 Nippon Kogaku binoculars; Unitron #114 alt-az mount (Swifty-tron) Post Extras:       Lew Chilton Pooh-Bah Reged: 10/20/05 Posts: 1010 Loc: SoCal Re: AMAZING FULL MOON STAR PARTY!! [Re: Lew Chilton]       #1692591 - 06/30/07 09:05 PM Attachment (142 downloads) Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Here's another shot of the tailstock. Note the quartz star diagonal. -------------------- I don't get no respect, but my scopes do! ---------------------------------------------- 1961 Swift 60mm model 839 (2); 2003 TV-102/GM-8; 1959 8" f/6 Treckerscope; 1959 8" f/7.4 Murray Scope; 1959 Fecker Celestar-4; 1978 4" Edmund Astroscan; c. 1986 4-inch Celestron-Vixen SP-C102; c. 1950 20X60 Saturn spotting scope; 1963 7X50 Nippon Kogaku binoculars; Unitron #114 alt-az mount (Swifty-tron) Post Extras:       Lew Chilton Pooh-Bah Reged: 10/20/05 Posts: 1010 Loc: SoCal Re: AMAZING FULL MOON STAR PARTY!! [Re: Lew Chilton]       #1692614 - 06/30/07 09:21 PM Attachment (180 downloads) Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   If you thought that Pons is exclusively a refractor man, you'd be wrong. He is working on a 12-1/2-inch high-performance Newtonian based on a highly improved Optical Craftsmen mount. He claims he has a "perfect" Ed Beck (?) mirror. Pons has designed an ultra precision mirror cell and secondary adjustment supported by a curved spider of his own design. He also designs and builds the drive electronics. This scope is still a work in progress. Everything he does is 1st class. -------------------- I don't get no respect, but my scopes do! ---------------------------------------------- 1961 Swift 60mm model 839 (2); 2003 TV-102/GM-8; 1959 8" f/6 Treckerscope; 1959 8" f/7.4 Murray Scope; 1959 Fecker Celestar-4; 1978 4" Edmund Astroscan; c. 1986 4-inch Celestron-Vixen SP-C102; c. 1950 20X60 Saturn spotting scope; 1963 7X50 Nippon Kogaku binoculars; Unitron #114 alt-az mount (Swifty-tron) Edited by Lew Chilton (06/30/07 09:23 PM) Post Extras:       Lew Chilton Pooh-Bah Reged: 10/20/05 Posts: 1010 Loc: SoCal Re: AMAZING FULL MOON STAR PARTY!! [Re: Lew Chilton]       #1692619 - 06/30/07 09:26 PM Attachment (171 downloads) Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Here's a close-up of the clock drive built by Pons for his 12-inch Newtonian on a highly modified Optical Craftsmen mount which now utilizes helicoptor rotor bearings - ye gods! -------------------- I don't get no respect, but my scopes do! ---------------------------------------------- 1961 Swift 60mm model 839 (2); 2003 TV-102/GM-8; 1959 8" f/6 Treckerscope; 1959 8" f/7.4 Murray Scope; 1959 Fecker Celestar-4; 1978 4" Edmund Astroscan; c. 1986 4-inch Celestron-Vixen SP-C102; c. 1950 20X60 Saturn spotting scope; 1963 7X50 Nippon Kogaku binoculars; Unitron #114 alt-az mount (Swifty-tron) Post Extras:       Lew Chilton Pooh-Bah Reged: 10/20/05 Posts: 1010 Loc: SoCal Re: AMAZING FULL MOON STAR PARTY!! [Re: Lew Chilton]       #1692626 - 06/30/07 09:29 PM Attachment (169 downloads) Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   And here is a Bill Schaeffer mount being modified for a 9-inch refractor that Pons is making for a customer. -------------------- I don't get no respect, but my scopes do! ---------------------------------------------- 1961 Swift 60mm model 839 (2); 2003 TV-102/GM-8; 1959 8" f/6 Treckerscope; 1959 8" f/7.4 Murray Scope; 1959 Fecker Celestar-4; 1978 4" Edmund Astroscan; c. 1986 4-inch Celestron-Vixen SP-C102; c. 1950 20X60 Saturn spotting scope; 1963 7X50 Nippon Kogaku binoculars; Unitron #114 alt-az mount (Swifty-tron) Post Extras:       Lew Chilton Pooh-Bah Reged: 10/20/05 Posts: 1010 Loc: SoCal Re: AMAZING FULL MOON STAR PARTY!! [Re: Lew Chilton]       #1692644 - 06/30/07 09:37 PM Attachment (166 downloads) Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   And finally, here's a picture of yours truly in front of Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles (well, actually, in front of a picture of Griffith Observatory). -------------------- I don't get no respect, but my scopes do! ---------------------------------------------- 1961 Swift 60mm model 839 (2); 2003 TV-102/GM-8; 1959 8" f/6 Treckerscope; 1959 8" f/7.4 Murray Scope; 1959 Fecker Celestar-4; 1978 4" Edmund Astroscan; c. 1986 4-inch Celestron-Vixen SP-C102; c. 1950 20X60 Saturn spotting scope; 1963 7X50 Nippon Kogaku binoculars; Unitron #114 alt-az mount (Swifty-tron) Post Extras:       clintwhitman Caveman Reged: 01/01/07 Posts: 2425 Loc: ValVerde CA(SoEasyaCavemanCanD... Re: AMAZING FULL MOON STAR PARTY!! [Re: trainsktg]       #1692675 - 06/30/07 10:03 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   I would have to ask John about the titan, I do know the Goto came out of a house in beverly hills that had a 18 foot observitory built into its structure about 4 years ago and as taken out just ahead of the demolishion crews. John is not a driver so he told me the story about how him and his girlfreind moved it piece by piece on the subway to save it from the dump I spent the day over there watching him go like a mad man rebuilding my 4" unitron objective! he said bring it by and I will culminate it for you I just left his house 5 hours later with a completly rebuild custom locking lens cell and a custom re-made unitron super focuser, also some 6" unitron weights for my byres drive. John and I hit it off I guess. He is a great guy and I am soaking up his knowlage like a sponge. At last someone that really knows what he is doing to show me all the stuff I could only guess at. -------------------- Clint&Debbie Whitman (aveman 1960s 6"F15 Jaegers-Unipons by John Pons on a Byers 812, 1947 4" F15 TINSLEY, 1965 10" F8 CAVE, 1950 5CM & 6.5CM Nippon Kogakus (the twins), 1960s UNITRONS a 152 restored a 160 numbered green lens original mint a 114 original 50s mint, 1950s UNITRON M100 100mm F15 OTA, WO 80mm Florite, ASTROPHYSICS 155 EDFS on LOSMANDY G11, a bunch of Tascos,Sears Mayflowers The list goes on Add infinitum. Post Extras:       Bonco Carpal Tunnel Reged: 04/17/06 Posts: 2296 Loc: Florida Re: AMAZING FULL MOON STAR PARTY!! [Re: clintwhitman]       #1692678 - 06/30/07 10:07 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Thanky Lew great report. Saved almost all of the pictures. A yard party like this can only happen in California. Bonco -------------------- RV6 Meade 2045 6 inch f/4 RFT R. Fagin Optics TV Genesis 2.4 inch Lafayette Equitorial 3 inch Polarex/Unitron Equitorial 10 inch Zhumell PST 40mm Solar scope 4 inch F/15 Antares 2.4 inch Unitron Equitorial Tasco 10K 80mm/1200mm Towa 339 Restored Post Extras:       clintwhitman Caveman Reged: 01/01/07 Posts: 2425 Loc: ValVerde CA(SoEasyaCavemanCanD... Re: AMAZING FULL MOON STAR PARTY!! [Re: clintwhitman]       #1692681 - 06/30/07 10:08 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Thats A super unitron 2" bad to the bone Focuser in case Lenny gets back in time to see this!!!! -------------------- Clint&Debbie Whitman (aveman 1960s 6"F15 Jaegers-Unipons by John Pons on a Byers 812, 1947 4" F15 TINSLEY, 1965 10" F8 CAVE, 1950 5CM & 6.5CM Nippon Kogakus (the twins), 1960s UNITRONS a 152 restored a 160 numbered green lens original mint a 114 original 50s mint, 1950s UNITRON M100 100mm F15 OTA, WO 80mm Florite, ASTROPHYSICS 155 EDFS on LOSMANDY G11, a bunch of Tascos,Sears Mayflowers The list goes on Add infinitum. Post Extras:       trainsktg Post Laureate Reged: 08/23/05 Posts: 4586 Loc: Pacific Northwest Re: AMAZING FULL MOON STAR PARTY!! [Re: clintwhitman]       #1692745 - 06/30/07 10:46 PM Attachment (157 downloads) Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   It sure looks like the same scope. Since I've never heard of 'Titan Observatory', it very well could have been the name of a private/home dome. The timing is right. 1956 on the scope, early 1957 advertisement. The location is right. I'd say its an almost certainty. Keith Edited by trainsktg (06/30/07 11:46 PM) Post Extras:       Lew Chilton Pooh-Bah Reged: 10/20/05 Posts: 1010 Loc: SoCal Re: AMAZING FULL MOON STAR PARTY!! [Re: trainsktg]       #1692970 - 07/01/07 01:20 AM Attachment (189 downloads) Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Keith, Here's the Titan Observatory as it was covered in a Los Angeles Times article on September 8, 1960. I hope you can read it. The provenance of this telescope is impeccable! John Pons took the Titan Observatory door which he keeps in his house. -------------------- I don't get no respect, but my scopes do! ---------------------------------------------- 1961 Swift 60mm model 839 (2); 2003 TV-102/GM-8; 1959 8" f/6 Treckerscope; 1959 8" f/7.4 Murray Scope; 1959 Fecker Celestar-4; 1978 4" Edmund Astroscan; c. 1986 4-inch Celestron-Vixen SP-C102; c. 1950 20X60 Saturn spotting scope; 1963 7X50 Nippon Kogaku binoculars; Unitron #114 alt-az mount (Swifty-tron) Post Extras:       Lew Chilton Pooh-Bah Reged: 10/20/05 Posts: 1010 Loc: SoCal Re: AMAZING FULL MOON STAR PARTY!! [Re: Lew Chilton]       #1692977 - 07/01/07 01:25 AM Attachment (156 downloads) Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Here's the 6-inch Goto owner plate which is screwed to the pier. I took this shot at Pons' house at last night's star party. -------------------- I don't get no respect, but my scopes do! ---------------------------------------------- 1961 Swift 60mm model 839 (2); 2003 TV-102/GM-8; 1959 8" f/6 Treckerscope; 1959 8" f/7.4 Murray Scope; 1959 Fecker Celestar-4; 1978 4" Edmund Astroscan; c. 1986 4-inch Celestron-Vixen SP-C102; c. 1950 20X60 Saturn spotting scope; 1963 7X50 Nippon Kogaku binoculars; Unitron #114 alt-az mount (Swifty-tron) Post Extras:       trainsktg Post Laureate Reged: 08/23/05 Posts: 4586 Loc: Pacific Northwest Re: AMAZING FULL MOON STAR PARTY!! [Re: Lew Chilton]       #1693020 - 07/01/07 02:22 AM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Lew, this is amazing. With your permission, I'd like to send these pictures to my contact at Goto Japan. I believe they will be very excited to see the refractor's continued existance. I'd like to send the one with Jon, too, if you can get his permission. Thanks. Amazingly, now that we know what to look for, you can see Choate Telescope, ***, 1956 plate on the Sky and Telescope advertisement, too! Since this LA Times article was from 1960, the young Joe Choate should only be about 65 years old. Any ideas why this telescope was left for the wrecking ball, or where he might be? Most probably lost interest when he moved away from home, the father died, and the house was sold to a new owner who had no interest in the hobby and neglected the poor thing. Keith -------------------- He was a good little monkey and always very curious. Post Extras:       Daniel Mounsey Vendor - Woodland Hils Reged: 06/12/02 Posts: 3200 Re: AMAZING FULL MOON STAR PARTY!! [Re: trainsktg]       #1693590 - 07/01/07 12:46 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Nice work guys. Lew, why don't you post that classic picture of you at Charlton in the 60's That photo blows me away. -------------------- Post Extras:       Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | (show all) Previous   Index   Next   Threaded   Extra information 8 registered and 7 anonymous users are browsing this forum. Moderator:  RLTYS, Glassthrower, Clive Gibbons  Print Thread Forum Permissions       You cannot start new topics       You cannot reply to topics       HTML is disabled       UBBCode is enabled Thread views: 19843 Jump to *International Year of Astronomy 2009* -----   Global Coordination   Cornerstone Projects   Special Projects   Special Task Groups   Global Activities   National and Regional Activities   IYA 2009 in Africa   IYA 2009 in the USA*Announcements and News* -----   Cloudy Nights Announcements   Discussion of CN Articles, Reviews, and Reports   Beginners Forum   Celestial Events   Light Pollution*Equipment Discussions* -----   ATM, Optics and DIY Forum   Binoculars   Binoviewers   Cats & Casses   Classic Telescopes   Equipment   Eyepieces   Mounts   Observatories   Reflectors   Refractors    Celestron SkyScout and Meade mySky   Video and Electronically Assisted Astronomy*Astrophotography and Sketching* -----   Beginning and Intermediate Imaging   Film Astrophotography   DSLR & Digital Camera Astro Imaging & Processing   CCD Imaging & Processing   Solar System Imaging & Processing   Sketching   Astro Imaging/Sketching Contest *Observing* -----   NEO   General Observing   Planetary and Solar System Observing   Lunar Observing   Deep Sky Observing   Double Star Observing   Solar   Variable Star Observing and Radio Astronomy*Telescope Specific Forums* -----   Celestron NexStar    NexStar GPS / CPC Telescopes   Questar Forum   Meade ACF/RCX / LX / GPS    Meade ETX*Other* -----   Science of Astronomy & Space Exploration   AstroWebsites   Space Rocks*Speciality Forums* -----   AstroArt   Astronomy Software & Computers   Stellar Media   Astro Outreach, Clubs and Star Parties*CN Feedback and Vendor Announcements* -----   Vendor and Group Announcements CN Forums Home

Cloudy Nights Sponsor: Astronomics