trainsktg
Post Laureate
Reged: 08/23/05
Posts: 4586
Loc: Pacific Northwest
|
|
Those pics look like the Choate Observatory. Is that how John found it? Yikes.
Keith
--------------------
He was a good little monkey and always very curious.
|
rwiederrich
Goldfinger
Reged: 11/17/05
Posts: 8334
Loc: Bremerton Washington
|
|
Quote:
Those pics look like the Choate Observatory. Is that how John found it? Yikes.
Keith
I believe those images are of sever vandalism..or a storm..I can't remember which... 
It is a horrible scene. 
Rob
--------------------
www.goldmtobservingcenter.com
A great place for amateur astronomers, and ATM's to come and enjoy their hobby.
http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/HomemadeRefractorTelescopes/ My homemade refractor group.
www.vimeo.com/6014031
|
mikey cee
Post Laureate
Reged: 01/18/07
Posts: 3528
Loc: bellevue ne.
|
|
Pier bolt ripped out of the floor like earthquake damage. Maybe it happened in Japan.  Mike
--------------------
7x35 and 10x50 sears tower binocs, 3" f/10 edmunds reflector, 2.4" f/11.7 manon refractor, 6" f/8 jaegers refractor, "The 8 Ball" 8" f/13.3 brandt refractor, 3" f/15.8 sans&streiffe refractor, 3.1" f/15 selsi refractor(towa 339), 2.4" f/15 sears refractor, selsi 30x30mm spyglass, criterion 5-draw 25x45x75x spyglass(1957), 4.25" f/14.8 tasco 20te.
|
rwiederrich
Goldfinger
Reged: 11/17/05
Posts: 8334
Loc: Bremerton Washington
|
|
Quote:
Pier bolt ripped out of the floor like earthquake damage. Maybe it happened in Japan. Mike
I've seen these images before, and if memory serves me, they were from vandalism. Then again...my memory has been a victim of vandalism itself...  So....
Rob
--------------------
www.goldmtobservingcenter.com
A great place for amateur astronomers, and ATM's to come and enjoy their hobby.
http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/HomemadeRefractorTelescopes/ My homemade refractor group.
www.vimeo.com/6014031
|
Steve_M_M
scholastic sledgehammer
Reged: 06/09/04
Posts: 976
Loc: Moorpark, CA
|
|
It is from an earthquake in Japan.
--------------------
1956 Goto Optical 6" f15 Observatory Refractor
From the Titan Observatory as featured in S&T 1957-1959
&
1961 Nishimura 6" Reflector
|
rwiederrich
Goldfinger
Reged: 11/17/05
Posts: 8334
Loc: Bremerton Washington
|
|
Quote:
It is from an earthquake in Japan.
See..there you go. Earthquake vandals...  
I saw somewhere..images of several observatories that had been vandalized in some country, by very upset rioters...
Thanks for clearing it for us...
And how is that new 6" of yours coming along?
Rob
--------------------
www.goldmtobservingcenter.com
A great place for amateur astronomers, and ATM's to come and enjoy their hobby.
http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/HomemadeRefractorTelescopes/ My homemade refractor group.
www.vimeo.com/6014031
|
Mr Magoo
scholastic sledgehammer
Reged: 11/05/05
Posts: 999
Loc: Franklin, Indiana
|
|
I remember 2 stories of vandalism at observatories. One involved a nut taking a sledge hammer to a mirror and the other a shotgun blast to a mirror. I only remember that one of them was okay because the damage was confined to the area of central obstruction.
--------------------
Ken
Franklin, IN
Member, Indiana Astronomical Society
B.S.A. Astronomy Merit Badge Counselor
6" f/10 Dob
Vintage Sears Discoverer 4-6305A 60mm
Vintage Manon 60mm (The Marsha Scope)
Criterion RV-6
My CN Photo Gallery
|
PureHeaven
member
Reged: 01/20/08
Posts: 71
Loc: Los Angeles, CA
|
|
Wow. I'm completely blown away!
Quote:
In this next shot taken at Charlton Flats in 1961 (looking west), the people helping Frank Grow load his scope are, from left, Ronny Thomas, Frank Grow, unknown, Leif Robinson (wearing white cap) and Jack Eastman.
Frank Grow was my grandfather. I remember traveling around with him my grandmother and mom and dad, with this scope in tow. He was also an avid rock hound. During these outings, daytime was spent exploring the geology with picks and sacks, and nights were spent exploring the heavens. He died when I was only 8, so my memories are hazy. He had 5 shops in his backyard (in burbank california, literally a mile or so below the Griffith Park Observatory)- a machine shop, a lens & mirror grinding shop, a rock & mineral "processing" shop, an assembly shop, and a sort of laboratory/wharehouse/assembly area that was about 4 garages large. I don't really know a lot about him, other than he was an inventor who created arcade games (the very early skee-ball and sport themed ones), and started his own small manufacturing company called "Grow Gear" that landed many aerospace contracts for various gear assemblies during and after WW2.
Oh yeah, he also had his own observatory built in the back yard.
I've been meaning to get into astronomy my whole life, but haven't done so till now, having just bought a 10" orion classic dob about 2 months ago (and have since spent over twice the price of the scope on eps and accessories, with no end in sight).
I saw this forum on classic scopes and decided to click on the most recent post just for fun!
Please, if anyone else has any info/memories of my grandfather, or knows anyone who might, please PM me.
Thanks Lew- for providing me with such a heart lifting and exciting surprise.
Frank Grow III
--------------------
Frank
Hot-rodded 10" Orion Dob,
31mm Nag
13 & 6mm Ethos
a few cigars and a comfy chair.
|
Lew Chilton
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 10/20/05
Posts: 1022
Loc: SoCal
|
|
Hi Frank,
Welcome to Cloudy Nights "Classic Telescopes" Forum. Your grandpa was indeed a classic and rightfully belongs here among the great telescope makers from an earlier era. 
I knew him - not well - but admired him and his accomplishments vis-a-vis our membership in the Los Angeles Astronomical Society. I visited him and your grandmother a few times at their home in Burbank. He showed me his shops and various projects. There is a picture of him on the cover of a 1958 issue of Griffith Observer magazine (publication of Griffith Observatory).
Below is a picture of him with his student telescope makers in the basement of Griffith Observatory in 1954. Can you spot him?
--------------------
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)
|
PureHeaven
member
Reged: 01/20/08
Posts: 71
Loc: Los Angeles, CA
|
|
Wow...
...
...
...
...
...
..!
Thanks so much- that's one of the coolest pictures I've ever seen of him.
And that's definitely a class I wish I had taken.
Like I said, I didn't know him well, but have managed to save a few of his old technical/historical books on making optics and telescopes. A few have rough formulas and notes sketched out on old notepad paper. Very cool.
Do you know if the Griffith Observatory or the LAAS has a library? I'd like to see if there's any articles he's written, etc.
--------------------
Frank
Hot-rodded 10" Orion Dob,
31mm Nag
13 & 6mm Ethos
a few cigars and a comfy chair.
|
Bonco
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 04/17/06
Posts: 2297
Loc: Florida
|
|
Absolutely amazing picture. Really brought back some memories. I and several others in the same time frame and members of the Junior Texas Astonomical Society (Dallas, Tx)set up a mirror grinding shop. We were a small group but the picture posted by Lew took me back to that time...In 1961 I was 13 years old and would have been like the younger members in this picture. Thanks Lew
--------------------
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
|
Steve_M_M
scholastic sledgehammer
Reged: 06/09/04
Posts: 976
Loc: Moorpark, CA
|
|
Quote:
Quote:
It is from an earthquake in Japan.
And how is that new 6" of yours coming along?
Rob
The 6" Goto is coming along fine. Been working on it most days. I should have it set up again in a month or so. Then, I probably have another year on two problematic parts and many small parts.
I expect it will spend much time this summer at Clint's for all who want to stop by.
Steve
--------------------
1956 Goto Optical 6" f15 Observatory Refractor
From the Titan Observatory as featured in S&T 1957-1959
&
1961 Nishimura 6" Reflector
|
Bob A (SD)
sage
Reged: 07/16/05
Posts: 342
Loc: Black Hills of South Dakota
|
|
Gentlemen,
This thread is absolutely awe inspiring. I've been a member of CN for some time but rarely pop in this area. For whatever reason I have been the last couple weeks but the title here never tweaked my interest. On a whim tonight I opened this up. My! My! My! As a 60 year old retiree the history here acted as a catalyst for old dormant data stored away deeply in my own gray matter. As an example I hadn't thought about a trip I made in my late teens 4 hours north of Lake Ontario after crossing the St Lawrence Seaway where I saw what still stands in my mind as the darkest clearest skies I've ever experienced. Ah...... thanks to all!
--------------------
Bob
N44°0'19" W-103°18'8"
-Intes-Micro MN56/Moonlite CR2/Antares 8x50RACI
-SkyWatcher EQ6 SynScan v3.23/Hanna saddle head/Casady saddle/Losmandy dovetail
-StellaCam II/10" RS monitor/Hauppauge WinTV-USB2/Mogg 0.6X
-Speers-Waler SWA 5-8/10/24.7mm; Russell SWA 13/19mm; Kunming SWA 32mm; UO Abbe 5/7/9mm; TV PowerMate 2.5x
-Criterion RV-6 Dynascope
-Bins: 7x42B SLC; ED2 7x36; 8x32DCF-WP/9x21UCF; BD6.5x32IF; 9x35IF GoldRing/8x30Yosemite; Binolux 7x35s 11° & 10.5°; ZOMC 6x30 12.5°
|
Lew Chilton
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 10/20/05
Posts: 1022
Loc: SoCal
|
|
Bob A,
Glad you decided to look in on the "Classic Scopes" forum. Hope you visit often and contribute from time to time.
Comments like yours are extremely gratifying and confirm our suspicions that the coolest of the cool can be found on this forum. 
--------------------
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)
|
Awesomelenny
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 05/02/04
Posts: 2803
Loc: Long: 81.42 W Lat: 41.21 N
|
|
I just got done reading this for the first time! I remember seeing the title last year but it didn't strike me as a classical historical topic.
This was absolutely the best thread I have read. The history, the stories, the pictures are so beautiful! Lew, this thread should really be permanently pinned. Thank you for sharing this with all of us on CN!!!
--------------------
Len
Meade 178 ED APO
127mm Astro_Tech ED APO
4" f/15 Model 166 Unitron with UNIWITT Pier
Televue Genesis SDF 101mm f/5.4
W.O. Zenithstar 66
2.4" f/15 Model 128C Unitron
Coronado Solarmax 90 DS Telescope
Losmandy Titan; G-11; all w/Gemini
All in a "Backyard Observatory"
"The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands."
Psalm 19:1
|
Glassthrower
Vendor - Galactic Stone & Ironworks
Reged: 04/07/05
Posts: 16351
Loc: Kuiper Belt
|
|
Quote:
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.
Any update on the other projects Mr. Pons was working on? How about that big newtonian?
Lenny, I've read this thread before, but it's been a while. I just sat down and re-read it again. 
(it's going to stay pinned up for a long long time) 
Regards and clear skies,
MikeG
--------------------
Michael Gilmer - Member of the Meteoritical Society & Collector of Falling Stars.
Meteorites, Moon Rocks, Mars Rocks, Tektites, Fossils, Minerals, Crystals, & Trinitite.
|
Lew Chilton
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 10/20/05
Posts: 1022
Loc: SoCal
|
|
Lenny and Mike,
Don't have much to report on Pons, except that instead of building an OTA with his 6.3-inch Unitron objective as he intended, he sold it to someone in Oregon.
Pons was kinda negative about undertaking any new telescope projects after selling the Goto to Steve Miller, but that was several months ago when I last saw or spoke to him. Hopefully by now he's out of his funk and back to planning something new.
I ran across some other pictures I took at the "amazing full moon star party" in June of 2007 that I never shared with the CN gang.
Here's how the new Goto owner decided to move it to his house some 35 miles away. To save on moving expenses, Steve and Caveman lifted the Goto onto a small furniture dolly and tied a rope from the scope pier to the rear bumper of Clint's van. It was necessary to drive slowly. On the freeway, Clint held his speed down to 55 mph, the maximum allowed in California for towing telescopes. 
Edited by Lew Chilton (07/05/08 02:10 PM)
|
trainsktg
Post Laureate
Reged: 08/23/05
Posts: 4586
Loc: Pacific Northwest
|
|
Hmmm. Steve's lucky the CHiPs didn't catch him. No tow lights and I seriously doubt those tires are highway rated.
Keith
--------------------
He was a good little monkey and always very curious.
|
mikey cee
Post Laureate
Reged: 01/18/07
Posts: 3528
Loc: bellevue ne.
|
|
Lew....C'mon now they didn't really do that did they? I'd believe just about anything from the "left coast"!!  Mike
--------------------
7x35 and 10x50 sears tower binocs, 3" f/10 edmunds reflector, 2.4" f/11.7 manon refractor, 6" f/8 jaegers refractor, "The 8 Ball" 8" f/13.3 brandt refractor, 3" f/15.8 sans&streiffe refractor, 3.1" f/15 selsi refractor(towa 339), 2.4" f/15 sears refractor, selsi 30x30mm spyglass, criterion 5-draw 25x45x75x spyglass(1957), 4.25" f/14.8 tasco 20te.
|
Lew Chilton
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 10/20/05
Posts: 1022
Loc: SoCal
|
|
Quote:
Here's how the new Goto owner decided to move it to his house some 35 miles away. To save on moving expenses, Steve and Caveman lifted the Goto onto a small furniture dolly and tied a rope from the scope pier to the rear bumper of Clint's van. It was necessary to drive slowly. On the freeway, Clint held his speed down to 55 mph, the maximum allowed in California for towing telescopes.
JUST PULLING YOUR LEG!!!!
No joking: here's a shot of the 6-inch Goto and the Caveman's 50mm Nippon Kogaku at the amazing full moon star party (June 29, 2007).
--------------------
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)
|
Previous
Index
Next
Threaded
[Re: 
Edit
Reply
Quote
