43 replies to this topic

[Tyson M]

As the title suggests, I want to hear about your all time favorite astronomy equipment.

Stuff that maybe you sold and had to buy back. I feel like a lot of things besides telescopes fall in this category.

Eyepiece ranges? Adjustable astro chair? Mounts? Let's hear it.

I know I have a list of non negotiable equipment that I need based on my observing habits.

[Astrojensen]

 

I have a list of non negotiable equipment that I need based on my observing habits.

Oh, I have WAY too much stuff that falls into this category. It doesn't help that I look at basically everything. Sun, Moon, planets, double stars, wide-field, deep-sky, the lot. 

 

My Zeiss scopes? I will only handle them over at gunpoint. 

 

 

This one's going nowhere. 

 

 

Clear skies!

Thomas, Denmark

[Justin Fuller]

Adapters of every kind

[bengreen]

The only scope I ever made from scratch. 8" F7 Newt made following the old Neal Howard and Texereau books. Sonotube on a plywood rocker box thrown together before I had gained any real woodworking skills. Pyrex mirror ground using Edmund Scientific ATM kit. I only managed 1/4 wave in the mirror but hey, I saw Halley's comet through it!

Edited by bengreen, 10 February 2025 - 04:19 PM.

[TOMDEY]

This thing >>>    Tom

Attached Thumbnails

• 

[lwbehney]

Oh, I have WAY too much stuff that falls into this category. It doesn't help that I look at basically everything. Sun, Moon, planets, double stars, wide-field, deep-sky, the lot. 

 

My Zeiss scopes? I will only handle them over at gunpoint. 

 

 

This one's going nowhere. 

 

 

Clear skies!

Thomas, Denmark

Super cool!  Sort of an art deco or steam punk look to it. What year was it made?

[25585]

Eyepieces; I sold some Vixen LVs and LVWs once. Seller's remorse set in. I hunted and bought the same FLs back. My CDF eyepieces are Vixen LVW 22, Pentax XL 28, Docter 12.5, Morpheus 9, Morpheus 6.5, Pentax XW 40.

 

I am fond of my Berlebach Planet in Nutwood Brown, and Rowan AZ100 mount.

 

Scopes to keep; Tak TSA-120, FC100DL, TV-102 Renaissance, OO UK 10" F6 Dobsonian.
 

Binoculars; Swift Osprey 7.5x42, Zeiss Marine 7x50, Bausch & Lomb 1942 7x50, Strathspey Marine 7x50.

[Jethro7]

Hello Tyson,

I'm like Thomas, I have a lot of Astro Toys, if I had to make a list of forever toys.

 

(SCOPES)

AT 60 ED ( fun nitche scope) 

Tak FOA 60 Q ( Fun niche scope)

TAK FC 76-DS (Second most used) Just plain fun to use. 

TAK TSA120 ( Most used) Best all around scope.

TEC 140 (Third most used) second best all around scope do to the weight only.

TS CF- APO 155 ( Excelent planetary scope)

NewMoon 12. 5" Dob ( hopefully to be added to this list soon)

 

(MOUNTS) 

DiscMount DM6 ( All time favorite mount) No bad habits. 

 

(Eyepieces)

Leica ASPH Vari 8.8 - 17.9 zoom ( Most used)

Tele Vue 21 Ethos

Tele Vue 20 Nagler Type 5

Tele Vue 26 Nagler Type 5 ( Most used)

Tele Vue 31 Nagler Type 5

 

(MISC. INDISPENSABLE GEAR)

PVS 14 night vision monocular plus the accessories for NVA ( Game Changer)

Baader Zeiss prism and BBHS Sitall mirror diagonals.  (Have 4, need at least 2)

Starbound Observers Chair (Game changer)

Berlebach Planet, Uni Astro and Report tripods

Tele Vue 2X Powermate

Tak 1.5X Focal extender 

Anti Dew systems.  (Indispensable in my neck of the woods)

 

Come to think about this list, all of these items are really my standard Stargazing toys.

 

HAPPY SKIES AND KEEP LOOKING UP Jethro

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited by Jethro7, 10 February 2025 - 07:40 PM.

[GrassLakeRon]

A custom 12.5" dob I created and a UO 16mm Erfle ep that went with it. I truly miss them.

[Astrojensen]

Super cool!  Sort of an art deco or steam punk look to it. What year was it made?

1970. The mount and tripod are newer.

 

 

Clear skies!

Thomas, Denmark 

[CHASLX200]

As the title suggests, I want to hear about your all time favorite astronomy equipment.

Stuff that maybe you sold and had to buy back. I feel like a lot of things besides telescopes fall in this category.

Eyepiece ranges? Adjustable astro chair? Mounts? Let's hear it.

I know I have a list of non negotiable equipment that I need based on my observing habits.

2 much to list. Had a 1000 scopes.

[Kefka1138]

Never sell: 

M603 - learned so much since owning this scope. 

KA astro chair - nothing beats a comfy chair. 

Ethos & Pans - no explanation needed.

 

On the fence - AZ8. I'd be tempered to liquidate only if I found an AZ100 for a song. Otherwise, it's my forever Alt-Az.

 

[SkyRanger]

I am blessed to own some wonderful scopes- some of which are vintage, and I consider them treasures.

My biggest astro mistake was selling my Ceravolo 145.

 

I don’t imagine I will ever sell my Apollo 11.  ( I sold 10 good EPs to finance it, including an excellent Delos 10.)

 

it all started with making a 6” f/10 from Edmund parts in 1965-66.

 

Gordon G

[Refractor6]

 Now I live in the boonies with the nearest astro shop very far away off the island I live on and the fact I don't order astronomy related stuff over the internet everything I got from 1998 to 2012 is NFS...got everything I need. Picked up a collection of great stuff while I lived in the big city and most of it was in storage for many years as I was bumped around from one small place to another while I worked two jobs in a very expensive city to live in.

 

Good thing because here in Canada telescope related goods is getting more expensive I noticed and I expect that situation to get worse due to the current climate of uncertainty with goods from other countries coming in combined with our low dollar.

 

 Good time to sit back be happy with what I have and watch from the sidelines the "fun" to come this year......

[BKBrown]

Pretty easy, my TEC 140ED and excellent SW 100ED Pro!

 

 

 

Clear Skies,

Brian 

[Inkie]

I haven't developed an affection, not even a loyalty, yet.  I have been in and out of the hobby for nearly six decades now, and have yet to say 'OMG' about anything, except maybe a view through my APM 16X70 ED binoculars three or four weeks ago looking at the Moon. I think that my eyes, with all their troubles (wouldn'tcha know) takes a good deal of the starch out of the hobby, and nothing much stands out in my memory. Maybe I haven't had a good long run in the hobby, enough to have developed a time-line coupled to exquisite memories.  It has been fits and starts, and although I have been back in the hobby since January of 2-23, it has not been a great experience.  Mostly equipment supply or weather issues, some health issues between me and the missus (besides my eyes), and I find myself dragging my butt instead of being chipper, energized, and wanting to grab 'n go.

 

I'm a generally optimistic person, though, and I have kept my equilibrium. I still look forward to, and plan for, the odd clear night this time of year, including around the full Moon.  As a general rule, I tend not to bother between Day 7 and Day 17 of the lunar cycle, with exceptions now and then using a radial filter on the Moon, or viewing the planets that are visible.  I'm not washed out...yet...but I haven't managed to find some real mojo. 

 

If my feet were held to the fire, and despite a couple of larger cannons of reasonable quality, I think I would hang onto the APMs, both the aforementioned binos and a new 106 mm APO refractor that will be an easy fit for me for the rest of my life.  I hate to let go of the big 159 ED, but that was only ever a pipe dream anyway, and I can't hang onto it forever as I age, not unless I put it on a pier inside of an observatory...which I have...just not the pier. Long story. 

Edited by Inkie, 11 February 2025 - 12:14 AM.

[Corcaroli78]

I have equipment that is very useful, that i like a lot, like eyepieces, some scopes and few binos, all can be replaced by same items or newer versions of them, but there are some special items that because of the joy they have brought to me, i created an emotional connection and they are -as today- heritage items to be passed my three children and until then, never to be sold:

 

• Zeiss Jena Nobilem 10x50
• Zeiss Jena Dekarem 10x50
• Zeiss West 8x30B
• Zeiss Telementor 63/840

 

Carlos

 

[Tyson M]

I have a few hobby regrets, and corrected most of them.

The Tele Vue 31mm Nagler. I sold this eyepiece a couple times before realizing that scopes come and go, but eyepieces remain constant.

The TSA102S. Had two of these and regretted selling it each time. I actually liked this better than the TSA120 for some reason.

Sold a mewlon 250, should've kept that. Large sharp optics in a smallish light weight package.

An azeq6 mount. I bought and sold this 3 times now. Finally going to keep this one.

The SVM2C mount. This is the best heavy duty grab and go mount I've used. Great price. Large payload.

Also had two astrophysics scopes. The traveller and 130GT. They have a heirloom like quality. The gt is so small for a large frac, I should've kept that. The traveller was nice but I liked the TSA102S better

[Tyson M]

For binoculars, the Canon 10x42IS I should've kept. I'll probably buy another some day

[Doug Culbertson]

I have sold some telescopes and eyepieces that I later regretted selling, but I then remembered why I sold them. Most recently I sold my Leica ASPH zoom after 10 years of ownership. About six months went by and I missed it terribly so I bought another one. it is now the main eyepiece in my minimalist set. 

 

One recent addition, a Nikon 7x50 SP binocular will have to be pried from my cold dead hands. Most of my nighttime observing is with binoculars lately. 

[Jon Isaacs]

As the title suggests, I want to hear about your all time favorite astronomy equipment.

Stuff that maybe you sold and had to buy back. I feel like a lot of things besides telescopes fall in this category.

Eyepiece ranges? Adjustable astro chair? Mounts? Let's hear it.

I know I have a list of non negotiable equipment that I need based on my observing habits.

I still have nearly all my all time favorite astronomy gear.  Over the years, I have had a few regrets. 

 

- When I acquired a 35mm Panoptic, I gave away my 32mm TeleVue Wide Field, only to start missing it because it's large eye lens.  I bought another one.  It was mostly just an eyepiece I used a few times a year for nostalgia.  Three years ago, I decided I wanted a similar eyepiece, lots of eye relief, relatively lightweight compared to the 35mm Panoptic and 31mm Nagler but with better edge correction and a wider field of view.  I purchased the 30mm 70 degree UFF and gave the 32mm Wide Field to someone and so far, I haven't missed it.

 

- Several years ago, I purchased an Orion 120mm Eon.  I wanted a refractor that was larger than my NP-101 for viewing the planets and double stars but that was still "grab and go."  It did the job but in 2-3 years, I found I just wasn't using it and eventually sold it. After a while, I got to missing it and bought another one.  Same thing happened, I used it for a while but then it just sat on the shelf. 

 

At that point, I realized what was going on.  The Eon with it's greater aperture was a better planetary-double star scope than the NP-101 but it is only incrementally better.  On the other hand, my 10 inch Dob, which was only a little more hassle to setup, was better than either on those magical nights when the seeing supported splitting doubles under 1".  Such nights are not uncommon around here.  So, after waiting more than a year to be sure, I sold the second Eon, that was a few years ago and I have no regrets.

 

- I have had two classic scopes that I would like to have again, a 1960s 60mm F/13.3 Asahi-Pentax and an RV-6. I gave them both away when I was downsizing.  The Asahi-Pentax was the best classic refractor I had ever owned, great optics, a solid mount, (uncommon for such scopes), it was just a nice scope.  The RV-6, a potent classic.  I would like to look through them again but I am quite sure I would give them away soon enough.  They are just not my type of scope.

 

- A year or two back, I parted ways with my 21mm Ethos after 4 months of comparing it to the 20 mm XWA.  I couldn't see much difference in the two and the 20mm XWA being 2/3rds the weight of the Ethos, I preferred the XWA.  I gave the Ethos to a friend to sell to help cover some medical bills. So far, no regrets but it has only been a couple of years. 

 

Jon 

[psandelle]

Probably my 10Micron mount. It's my third one. Each time I sell one, for various weird reasons, I always, eventually, buy another. My Tak E-160ED (with the Hercules focuser/rotator) is looking to be another keeper.

 

Paul

[PIEJr]

I don't sell nothin!

However, I have been known to give stuff away.

I setup my first telescope for visual and gave it to the grandkids.

Even set it up for them and Velcro strapped it to the banister on the upstairs patio deck.

Now, they can (and do) go out and spend some time looking around.

And I get the cutest reports back.

 

AND! We saw Beetlejuice! (Little Mia.)

 

I don't have a lot of equipment, but it's in use.

I don't collect, nor swap around. 

What I do have is my favorite, and I'm never done learning about it.

[therealdmt]

I’m not so attached to any one piece of equipment I own or have owned that I’d never sell it.

 

On the other hand, I like pretty much all of my stuff, a lot. None of it is irreplaceable or couldn’t be upgraded, though.

 

But maybe I’m reading the question wrong. If it’s more meant just what’s my favorite equipment that I own, I’ll go with my:

 

SW100ED refractor

AZ4 mount on steel tripod

10" GSO Dob w/ coma corrector

ES 82° 1.25" eyepieces (except the 11mm, which I like but could skip if I had to) and an ES 68° 24mm, also I guess my 30 UFF (though I could be open to an alternative widefield, but anyway, I like it and would need to replace it with something similar if sold), and 2x and 3x Focal Extenders

Ultrablock filters (one big, one small)

and my 10x42 and 8x32 binoculars.
Also my iPhone and iPad, as well as the Jumbo Pocket Sky Atlas

 

That’s pretty much the core of it, right there

[Avgvstvs]

I miss the old Takahashi TOA 130. Sold due to extreme poverty and homelessness. LOL and the old trusty 22mm Panoptic. I loved the double 1.25 & 2" skirts and optical neutrality.

Edited by Avgvstvs, 12 February 2025 - 07:45 AM.