8 replies to this topic

[jrcrilly]

http://www.astromart....asp?cid=231530

[rboe]

[jrcrilly]

Oops. I meant to post this in the relectors forum. I'm gonna see if I can move it. :o

[jrcrilly]

...a chip and scratches? I guess it doesn't matter as much with a mirror of this size but it does hurt the self-esteem:(

Yes; I got a real bargain on the 16" Meade dob I used to have because the former owner had dropped the secondary mirror onto the primary and made a "ding" on it. Didn't make any difference optically but it hurt the guy every time he saw it! At 33" I suspect the seller of this one doesn't want to invest in a new mirror just to preserve his bragging rights.

[rboe]

Digruntled worker at Mt. Hopkins Observatory took a .45 Auto shot at one of their mirrors. I don't recall which one but it was in the 2 meter + range. Shot a divit into it - that was it.

[matt]

Digruntled worker at Mt. Hopkins Observatory took a .45 Auto shot at one of their mirrors. I don't recall which one but it was in the 2 meter + range. Shot a divit into it - that was it.

Is that Mc Donald Observatory? I remember a picture of an old Astronomy magazine with a couple "gunshot wounds" on the 72" mirror, which had just been sealed with some kind of glue to prevent cracking.

[rboe]

You got me there, I'm not that familier with scopes there. Just got the story from a friend that worked there for a while and I've only been there once & that was seven years ago.

[matt]

Just like Don Quichote had dried out his brain reading chivalry books, I dried out mine reading astronomy back issues. That one is on the august or july '87 issue, I can't tell for sure (that I remember that at all is aggravating in itself, eh?). There's a picture of 2 astronomers inside the telescope tube and you see the impacts. I don't have this issue here though, so I can't scan the pic.