5082 replies to this topic

[Mcloud]

Here is my Super Polaris mounting with a Great Polaris C102 4"f10 achromat. Normally a SP-C102F 4"f9 apochromat belongs on the SP and this GP belongs on a Great Polaris. The Super Polaris has a drive and the GP doesn't so I'm using the SP and I'd forgotten how much purple the achromat shows over the apochromat so I have the GP on the SP for the time being.

[Mcloud]

That was my dream scope growing up!

[k5apl]

My 4 inch refractor: no name.  On a modern GP2 mount.  I think the telescope is a Vixen

Pulsar 102M-  102mm, f13, was originally on an alt-az mount.

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[Lentini]

Takahashi TS-80, cooling for some Jupiter views in the cold.

Picked out a 12.5mm TPL for the occasion.

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[Oldjag42]

Some photos of a 10" Cave Astrola I found a few weeks back at the curb down the street.  It sat in a garage for 15 years after the original owner moved away.  I had mirrors recoated by Jeff at Majestic and made rings to replace the band clamps that were on it.  Cleaned it up and added a ZWO AS1678MC camera.  My first foray into astronomy.

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[Garyth64]

Oldjag42,

 

Are those rings you made rotatable?

[flyboyu777]

Some photos of a 10" Cave Astrola I found a few weeks back at the curb down the street.  It sat in a garage for 15 years after the original owner moved away.  I had mirrors recoated by Jeff at Majestic and made rings to replace the band clamps that were on it.  Cleaned it up and added a ZWO AS1678MC camera.  My first foray into astronomy.

Wow-that was a great find for an even better price!  I always wanted one of those Cave's. . . . Congrats.

[Terra Nova]

Some photos of a 10" Cave Astrola I found a few weeks back at the curb down the street.  It sat in a garage for 15 years after the original owner moved away.  I had mirrors recoated by Jeff at Majestic and made rings to replace the band clamps that were on it.  Cleaned it up and added a ZWO AS1678MC camera.  My first foray into astronomy.

It's just stunning! To me back in the day, Caves were too reflectors what Unitrons were to refractors. Ie. the pinnacle in the world of Telescopedom! It's just amazing that you found it sitting out on the street. There was a similar story here years ago about a a large, complete Cave, also a 10" IIRC that was found out in a field on a horse trail. You can look it up n this forum under the nomen the Horsetrail Cave. It's quite a story!

[deSitter]

It's just stunning! To me back in the day, Caves were too reflectors what Unitrons were to refractors. Ie. the pinnacle in the world of Telescopedom! It's just amazing that you found it sitting out on the street. There was a similar story here years ago about a a large, complete Cave, also a 10" IIRC that was found out in a field on a horse trail. You can look it up n this forum under the nomen the Horsetrail Cave. It's quite a story!

That was a 12" and it was pretty much a mess when found, that is, it had been out there for a while!

 

-drl

[clamchip]

"Swing your partner round and round..."

 

[Josephus Miller]

Had my orange tube C8 and my Unitron 142 out tonight to look at Jupiter. Some very nice views! Despite the C8's much greater aperture, the Unitron edged out it most of the time, but it was close. 

 

 

(Sorry about the trashcans... spoils the mood a bit.)

Edited by Josephus Miller, 20 December 2024 - 11:49 AM.

[clamchip]

One of my favorite is my Edmund 5 inch f/15.

Top photo is it on a Astrola mounting and below a Edmund Extra Heavy Duty. Lunar crater rim shadows are

it's specialty, it is just incredible at it and is imprinted in my memory forever.

Robert

 

Edited by clamchip, 31 December 2024 - 12:36 AM.

[Sergey Stern]

Happy New Year to all lovers of classic telescopes! 

 

 

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Edited by Sergey Stern, 02 January 2025 - 10:13 AM.

[Airship]

For the past 10+ years I have been slowly gathering the parts to assemble a 6" f/15 Jaegers refractor. Over the holidays I finally began putting it together. I have a quite a bit of work to do yet to finish it, but the basic layout is essentially complete.

 

 

A 6" f/15 is a big scope!

[jcruse64]

That IS huge!!! Very nice!

[CHASLX200]

Need a much taller pier for that long tube.

[starman876]

For the past 10+ years I have been slowly gathering the parts to assemble a 6" f/15 Jaegers refractor. Over the holidays I finally began putting it together. I have a quite a bit of work to do yet to finish it, but the basic layout is essentially complete.

 

Jaegers (1-4-2025)-2.jpg

 

A 6" f/15 is a big scope!

Great looking scope.  How are the views?

[fullthrottle_man]

I thought I had already posted in this thread, but I guess not. I only have one "classic" scope, a Dynamax 8 from around 1978. Picked it up for $125. It came with pretty much every optional goody Criterion offered for the Dynamax line. Everything from the drive corrector, to the tabletop legs, to the .5x reducer, and tons more stuff. It looks the part of a real piece of equipment. I wish the optics matched its looks. Oh well. It's still good for low and medium power visual use. 

 

[Airship]

“How are the views?”

 

Notes from my initial test of the 6” f/15 Jaegers before the tube was flocked and the baffles were installed…

 

=========

The forecast for the evening called for clouds to arrive during dusk so I started with Venus in daylight. The planet looked absolutely gorgeous at 163x and 260x showing a slight gibbous and showing wonderful soft details along the terminator. As dusk deepened I slewed over to Vega which showed a brilliant blue against the deepening blue of dusk. From there I hopped up to Epsilon Lyra which showed 4 clearly resolved pinpoint stars. Close examination showed a tiny, sharp Airy disk and a single, sharp diffraction ring at 260x. From there I swung over to Saturn which looked gorgeous despite a thickening veil of haze. I ended the evening with Jupiter. As the flowing veil of haze ebbed and flowed I switched between 260x and 416x. I don't think that I have ever seen such fine detail on Jupiter. All four Galilean moons were visible, each showing a tiny disk with its own size and color. Europa was just starting to transit showing as a bright spark over the southern equatorial band.

======

 

I am looking forward to using it when it is actually clear!

 

Enjoy!

[davidmcgo]

Out with my C90 Astro and my even older a Celestron 4” f8 Schmidt Cassegrain telephoto from the 1960s checking out a hawk in a distant tree.  The C90 had a Celestron 18mm 0.965” Keller.  The 4” f8 was borrowing my 0.965” Takahashi diagonal and 18mm Ortho.  The Unitron spotter mount was a bit challenged with the nose heaviness of the 4”.

 

Very nice views in both.  The 4” f8 still gives a really bright view in spite of over 50 year old coatings.

 

Seeing the Sun glint in the hawk’s eye and nostrils on the black as well as all the plumage detail was really nice,  Normally the daytime seeing isn’t that stable.

 

 

Dave

 

[edit] Here is the post where I describe the telephoto more:  https://www.cloudyni.../#entry12706364

Edited by davidmcgo, 05 January 2025 - 04:57 PM.

[clamchip]

Edmund Scientific 3 inch f/15 

I built it with original parts and the plans in Mechanix Illustrated

Edited by clamchip, 06 January 2025 - 03:32 PM.

[ErnH2O]

Edmund Scientific 3 inch f/15 

 

Been to that restaurant many times.

[Kobur16]

 

I got this from Russell Smith , who made me a great deal on it.  Vixen-made Celestron Firstscope 80mm with the tripod, mount, OTA, Meade eyepiece, Celestron Logic Drive, and several filters all in one great deal.

Edited by Kobur16, 12 January 2025 - 07:25 PM.

[upwinddan]

 

 

 

I got this from Russell Smith, who made me a great deal on it.  Vixen-made Celestron Firstscope 80mm with the tripod, mount, OTA, Meade eyepiece, Celestron Logic Drive, and several filters all in one great deal.

 

These scopes are razor sharp. It’s the one scope I have that will never be sold. 

[Kobur16]

These scopes are razor sharp. It’s the one scope I have that will never be sold. 

I was quite surprised—and not just a little pleased—at how good it is!