324 replies to this topic

[Klitwo]

Post a photo of a "historic" telescope.  It can be your own, someone's homemade telescope, a university observatory telescope, a "historic" museum telescope or even commercial telescope...etc.  Some included info about why it is considered to be "historic" would be helpful. 

 

For starters...I've attached a couple of website links about a couple of "historic" homemade telescopes that should get things going.  Once you read them, you'll know right away why they're considered "historic" telescopes....

 

 

http://www.skyandtel...aire-1927-2014/   >  Once you read the story....you'll know why this telescope is historic.....

 

 

http://i.picasion.co...3b5b4a8be14.gif   >  This very creative and resourceful 1920's Nebraska farmer, an innovative amateur telescope maker who made a 6-inch binocular telescope nearly 90 years ago was decades ahead of today's pack of ABM's (new astro-term) Amateur Binoscope Makers.....

 

 

 

Klitwo

Edited by Klitwo, 21 July 2016 - 11:19 PM.

[plyscope]

A couple of years ago we visited Florence on a family holiday. The Museo Galileo has some historic telescopes on display including some that were used by Galileo.

 

[Klitwo]

Here's a "historic" all brass refracting binoscope made by Jan and Harmanus van Deijl in Amsterdam (Circa:1789)  The novelty, and rarity of this type of telescope makes for quite a museum show piece. It was bought in 1792 from Adriaan van den Ende, who had assisted in the construction. The objectives are achromatic and the magnification is 56 diameters.....See the attached Wikimedia Commons Public Domain photo and b/w links below.....

 

 

http://www.cloudynig...-1458012239.jpg

 

 

http://www.cloudynig...-1458012501.jpg

 

 

 

Klitwo

Attached Thumbnails

• 

Edited by Klitwo, 22 July 2016 - 01:45 AM.

[Klitwo]

Here's a beautiful "historic" all brass 6-inch speculum mirror Cassegrain reflecting telescope made sometime in (Circa: 1762 - 1774) made by the London instrument maker Jesse Ramsden (1735-1800). This telescope uses the Cassegrain optical configuration. It is mounted on an improved version of James Short's so-called "universal"; a portable equatorial stand with a brass fork holding the tube and an adjustable polar axis. As it is used on a table or similar surface, the portable telescope has three levelling screws and a pair of sprit levels. Such a beautiful instrument would only have been affordable to wealthy amateurs. Ramsden worked for various well-known instrument makers such as Sisson, Adams and Dollond, before starting on his own business in 1762. Ramsden went on to become the foremost instrument maker of his day.

 

See the links below for details.

 

 

http://i.picasion.co...f6f1d6d6ad5.gif

 

 

http://collectionson...=37661&t=people

 

 

 

Klitwo

Edited by Klitwo, 22 July 2016 - 02:41 AM.

[Terra Nova]

Here's a picture I took last month after our club meeting- the 1843 11" Merz and Mahler refractor (I believe it is F17?) at the Cincinnati Observatory.

Attached Thumbnails

• 

[Klitwo]

Just about everyone has seen replicas of Newton's original "historic" speculum mirror reflector....Here's a photo of the "real deal".  See links below for details.

 

http://i.picasion.co...6712cb7b7dd.gif

 

 

https://en.wikipedia...ton's_reflector

 

 

Klitwo

Edited by Klitwo, 22 July 2016 - 02:11 PM.

[bremms]

A couple of years ago we visited Florence on a family holiday. The Museo Galileo has some historic telescopes on display including some that were used by Galileo.

 

IMG_1567.JPG

Well now.. Not going to top that..

[Klitwo]

This 1970's 20-inch Cat is called the "Celestronic 20" that was manufactured and sold by Celestron Pacific back in the early days of Celestron.  If you have one...you would be one of the few....one of the very few that is.  For all intents and purposes...it's about as classic and historic as you can get....considering the rarity of such a beast.....See link below for details.

 

 

http://i.picasion.co...5d6c91b8550.gif

 

 

Note: Having worked for Valor Electronics, Inc. way back when for a time....I know well what this 20-inch Celestron Pacific Cat is capable of....

 

 

 

Klitwo

Edited by Klitwo, 22 July 2016 - 06:52 PM.

[photiost]

..

A must see when you visit Hartness House - Stellafane Convention

..

 

 

 

Attached Thumbnails

• 

[Klitwo]

When it comes to showing off a pair of big homemade binoculars at an ATM convention....this Japanese gentleman's ultra-big homemade dual 10-inch APO refractor binocs is definitely going to get some attention.....especially at the "historic" level.....See the following link

 

http://i.picasion.co...2e02d5e10bb.gif

 

 

But if for some reason the 10-inchers aren't "historic" enough for ya....how about a pair of Chinese 12-inch f/7 APOs?  The only real difference between these and the dual 10 inchers besides two inches is some real big bucks.   See the following link

 

 

http://i.picasion.co...a9acf2f9b45.gif

 

 

http://i.picasion.co...15405f7303a.gif

 

 

If you have some real deep pockets full of lots of spare change and a strong desire to build your own big "historic" bino someday.....you can always pick up a pair of super-big achromatic objectives up to 20 inches at....see link below

 

 

http://www.dgoptical.com/objective.htm

 

 

 

Klitwo

Edited by Klitwo, 23 July 2016 - 03:45 AM.

[Klitwo]

Here' a great website that's a great resource for some very old and historic telescopes......Great pics too.   See link below 

 

http://www.astrosurf..._telescope.html

 

 

Klitwo

[Klitwo]

Here's is a beautiful 18th century example of a 4-inch all-brass Gregorian Cassegrain by Scottish instrument maker James Short......See link below

 

 

http://transits.mhs....ntry=&size=orig

 

 

James Cook’s historic observation of the Transit of Venus at Tahiti on June 3 1769 was considered important because it would add to a more accurate view of the overall size and scale of the solar system. Included in the Transit of Venus voyage was a Gregorian reflector telescope made by the Scottish instrument maker James Short (1710-1768). James Cook and his expedition's astronomer Charles Green used this type of James Short Cassegrain Gregorian telescope to observe the Transit of Venus in Tahiti in 1769. It was in his quest for Terra Australis that Cook found Aotearoa New Zealand, making his first initial landfall at Tûranganui (now known as Gisborne) on the 8th of October 1769.  After a couple of days of dangerous encounters with the natives of Tûranganui, a result in which a number of individuals were killed by the members of the crew of Cook’s ship.  After the skirmishes with the village natives, the Endeavour sailed South to Hawke’s Bay and then finally North again. It eventually anchored off Anaura and Opoutama (Ûawa, Tolaga Bay).

 

http://www.antiquete...s.org/cook.html

 

 

Note: Unfortunately Captain Cook eventually met his fate (as an honored deceased guest at a highly ritualized old fashion Hawaiian barbecue) in a skirmish over the theft of one of their ship's cutters with the angry Hawaiian natives on a beach on the Kona coast on the big island of Hawaii on Feb. 14,1779.  See  link below for details

 

https://en.wikipedia...tain_James_Cook

 

 

 

Klitwo

Edited by Klitwo, 24 July 2016 - 01:32 PM.

[combatdad]

The 100 inch Hooker Telescope at Mt Wilson Observatory: http://amazingspace....ilson/index.php was used by Hubble in the 1920's.

 

Coincidentally, the September 2016 issue of S&T has an article, "Observing Through a Truly Large Telescope",  about six friends who rented the scope for half a night to observe twenty objects.  

 

And I thought our night with the 6 inch Unitron at Rafes Urban Astronomy Center (RUAC) in Denton, Texas was exciting!!!

 

Dave

[Klitwo]

Gotta love those classic late 17th century round mahogany wood tube refractors....especially if it has a "Dollond" signature on it.  Click on the image to explore this particular "Dollond" telescope's true beauty....It's a "Dolland" and that make's it historic enough.  See link below

 

 

https://www.1stdibs....nd/id-f_594542/

 

 

http://i.picasion.co...716c1c3802d.gif

 

 

 

Klitwo

Edited by Klitwo, 23 July 2016 - 09:11 PM.

[Klitwo]

_{If you enjoy reading about the history of some very popular commercial telescopes, their advertisements from the past....and some other ATM stuff as well...then you're going to enjoy this website....See the following link}

 

_{http://www.handprint.../ASTRO/atm.html}

 

 

_Klitwo

Edited by Klitwo, 24 July 2016 - 01:26 AM.

[Jim Curry]

Harvard's 9" Clark that Steve O'Meara used to provide the most accurate measurement of Uranus' rotation until we sent a spaceship out there.

Attached Thumbnails

• 
• 
• 

Edited by Jim Curry, 24 July 2016 - 12:41 PM.

[Jim Curry]

And here's some photo's of the 15".  Unfortunately, the dome doesn't function so this is just gathering dust...the 9" is used for outreach, or so I was told about 7 years ago.

 

 

 

 

Attached Thumbnails

• 
• 
• 
• 

[Jim Curry]

Here's a serious observing chair.  For the 15"

 

 

Attached Thumbnails

• 

[PJ Anway]

My wife and I visited Mount Wilson a few years ago and I was able to take a pic of the Hooker 100-inch. A scope with a lot of historical significance - including the instrument Edwin Hubble used to make observations that would show that many objects believed to be nebulae were actually galaxies beyond the Milky Way.

 

[PJ Anway]

The 100-inch house:

 

[Jim Davis]

The 60" at Mt Wilson, took the picture on my trip last November.

 

[Jim Davis]

One of the funny things we noticed is that both the 60" and 100" telescopes at Mt. Wilson have Telrads mounted on them.

 

[Klitwo]

Wouldn't be a bit surprised if they have a couple mounted on the 200-inch on Mt. Palomar too.  Cal Tech can probably afford to put them on all of their observatory scopes......

 

 

Klitwo

Edited by Klitwo, 24 July 2016 - 06:59 PM.

[Rickycardo]

I had the opportunity to visit the observatory in Quito Ecuador. Here is the 24cm Merz telescope built in 1875.

[Terra Nova]

Darn! I was in Quito 6 years ago and missed that!