Re: [Utah-astronomy] Utah-Astronomy Digest, Vol 147, Issue 24
Scope used to track Sputnik? Steve P On Tue, May 19, 2015 at 12:00 PM, < utah-astronomy-request@mailman.xmission.com> wrote:
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Today's Topics:
1. Today's Astro Trivia Question (Chuck Hards) 2. Re: Today's Astro Trivia Question (Siegfried Jachmann) 3. Re: Today's Astro Trivia Question (Chuck Hards)
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Message: 1 Date: Tue, 19 May 2015 06:03:24 -0600 From: Chuck Hards <chuck.hards@gmail.com> To: Utah Astronomy <utah-astronomy@mailman.xmission.com> Subject: [Utah-astronomy] Today's Astro Trivia Question Message-ID: <CAHmuOYrFTk= aFYzu_uUEgn7t7JV0AmqOw4T9cJ3Ldq4dpu6AyQ@mail.gmail.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8
Who can identify this item, and what it was used for? Rich is disqualified because we've already discussed it privately.
http://i260.photobucket.com/albums/ii24/JethroTull1958/ATM/Observer20001_zps...
Good luck!
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Message: 2 Date: Tue, 19 May 2015 08:46:02 -0600 From: Siegfried Jachmann <siegfried@jachmann.org> To: Utah Astronomy <utah-astronomy@mailman.xmission.com> Subject: Re: [Utah-astronomy] Today's Astro Trivia Question Message-ID: < CAH4Gk7inr_Z6QAnR_C+ZhWRTQnc6M9vznLOHQH8U2qG-0dVwJA@mail.gmail.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8
Moon scope
On Tue, May 19, 2015 at 6:03 AM, Chuck Hards <chuck.hards@gmail.com> wrote:
Who can identify this item, and what it was used for? Rich is disqualified because we've already discussed it privately.
http://i260.photobucket.com/albums/ii24/JethroTull1958/ATM/Observer20001_zps...
Good luck! _______________________________________________ Utah-Astronomy mailing list http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/utah-astronomy
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-- Siegfried
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Message: 3 Date: Tue, 19 May 2015 09:05:46 -0600 From: Chuck Hards <chuck.hards@gmail.com> To: Utah Astronomy <utah-astronomy@mailman.xmission.com> Subject: Re: [Utah-astronomy] Today's Astro Trivia Question Message-ID: < CAHmuOYrOGCFPJrWBjROtLqQKTOVQFB+BgpABB-jW3Vwu5RJvmw@mail.gmail.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8
Be more specific, please...
On Tue, May 19, 2015 at 8:46 AM, Siegfried Jachmann < siegfried@jachmann.org> wrote:
Moon scope
On Tue, May 19, 2015 at 6:03 AM, Chuck Hards <chuck.hards@gmail.com> wrote:
Who can identify this item, and what it was used for? Rich is disqualified because we've already discussed it privately.
http://i260.photobucket.com/albums/ii24/JethroTull1958/ATM/Observer20001_zps...
Good luck!
------------------------------
Subject: Digest Footer
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End of Utah-Astronomy Digest, Vol 147, Issue 24 ***********************************************
And we have a winner! This little telescope was sold for Operation Moonwatch, in which amateur astronomers worldwide were enlisted to help track artificial satellites and better determine their orbits. It was a direct result of Cold-War tensions at the time. Many different commercial variations of the little telescopes were sold, and plans were published for home-made versions, as well. Oriented north-south and with a scale to read-off altitude, teams would time when an artifical satellite would cross the meridian, and note it's elevation. The data was then given to the government who would refine the orbits of the Soviet and American satellites. Read more about the program: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Moonwatch I've wanted one of these little things for years and finally found one on eBay recently. My example is in very good, practically new condition, and is one of the smallest units marketed. Examples ranged from 30mm aperture up to nearly 5 inches. This one has a compass (still works amazingly well) as well as altitude and azimuth scales. All of the Moonwatch scopes used a mirror for a right-angle configuration, so operators could sit-down while using them. Some placed the mirror ahead of the objective and resembled a table-top microscope. Most commercial units, imported from Japanese companies, looked like my example. Pretty neat little piece of history. On 5/19/15, Stephen Peterson <scpki7l@gmail.com> wrote:
Scope used to track Sputnik?
Steve P
If an amateur was "enlisted", does this mean such a scope was given to them by the federal government, or enlisted as in "buy this little scope and help us defeat the Russkys!"? If the latter, how much did it cost for an interested party to help out? I'm also curious about the quality of the optics/workmanship (hard to tell from the photo). Regardless, thanks for sharing this bit of historical trivia Chuck! /R. From: Chuck Hards <chuck.hards@gmail.com> To: Utah Astronomy <utah-astronomy@mailman.xmission.com> Sent: Tuesday, May 19, 2015 4:29 PM Subject: Re: [Utah-astronomy] Utah-Astronomy Digest, Vol 147, Issue 24 And we have a winner! This little telescope was sold for Operation Moonwatch, in which amateur astronomers worldwide were enlisted to help track artificial satellites and better determine their orbits. It was a direct result of Cold-War tensions at the time. Many different commercial variations of the little telescopes were sold, and plans were published for home-made versions, as well. Oriented north-south and with a scale to read-off altitude, teams would time when an artifical satellite would cross the meridian, and note it's elevation. The data was then given to the government who would refine the orbits of the Soviet and American satellites. Read more about the program: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Moonwatch I've wanted one of these little things for years and finally found one on eBay recently. My example is in very good, practically new condition, and is one of the smallest units marketed. Examples ranged from 30mm aperture up to nearly 5 inches. This one has a compass (still works amazingly well) as well as altitude and azimuth scales. All of the Moonwatch scopes used a mirror for a right-angle configuration, so operators could sit-down while using them. Some placed the mirror ahead of the objective and resembled a table-top microscope. Most commercial units, imported from Japanese companies, looked like my example. Pretty neat little piece of history. On 5/19/15, Stephen Peterson <scpki7l@gmail.com> wrote:
Scope used to track Sputnik?
Steve P
_______________________________________________ Utah-Astronomy mailing list http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/utah-astronomy Send messages to the list to Utah-Astronomy@mailman.xmission.com The Utah-Astronomy mailing list is not affiliated with any astronomy club. To unsubscribe go to: http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/utah-astronomy Then enter your email address in the space provided and click on "Unsubscribe or edit options".
Also, have you been able to establish the date of your little scope? Any idea of how it was marketed (if it was marketed) -- are there ads in S&T, etc. for such things back in the 50's? /R. From: Richard Tenney via Utah-Astronomy <utah-astronomy@mailman.xmission.com> To: Utah Astronomy <utah-astronomy@mailman.xmission.com> Sent: Wednesday, May 20, 2015 10:16 AM Subject: Re: [Utah-astronomy] Utah-Astronomy Digest, Vol 147, Issue 24 If an amateur was "enlisted", does this mean such a scope was given to them by the federal government, or enlisted as in "buy this little scope and help us defeat the Russkys!"? If the latter, how much did it cost for an interested party to help out? I'm also curious about the quality of the optics/workmanship (hard to tell from the photo). Regardless, thanks for sharing this bit of historical trivia Chuck! /R. From: Chuck Hards <chuck.hards@gmail.com> To: Utah Astronomy <utah-astronomy@mailman.xmission.com> Sent: Tuesday, May 19, 2015 4:29 PM Subject: Re: [Utah-astronomy] Utah-Astronomy Digest, Vol 147, Issue 24 And we have a winner! This little telescope was sold for Operation Moonwatch, in which amateur astronomers worldwide were enlisted to help track artificial satellites and better determine their orbits. It was a direct result of Cold-War tensions at the time. Many different commercial variations of the little telescopes were sold, and plans were published for home-made versions, as well. Oriented north-south and with a scale to read-off altitude, teams would time when an artifical satellite would cross the meridian, and note it's elevation. The data was then given to the government who would refine the orbits of the Soviet and American satellites. Read more about the program: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Moonwatch I've wanted one of these little things for years and finally found one on eBay recently. My example is in very good, practically new condition, and is one of the smallest units marketed. Examples ranged from 30mm aperture up to nearly 5 inches. This one has a compass (still works amazingly well) as well as altitude and azimuth scales. All of the Moonwatch scopes used a mirror for a right-angle configuration, so operators could sit-down while using them. Some placed the mirror ahead of the objective and resembled a table-top microscope. Most commercial units, imported from Japanese companies, looked like my example. Pretty neat little piece of history. On 5/19/15, Stephen Peterson <scpki7l@gmail.com> wrote:
Scope used to track Sputnik?
Steve P
_______________________________________________ Utah-Astronomy mailing list http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/utah-astronomy Send messages to the list to Utah-Astronomy@mailman.xmission.com The Utah-Astronomy mailing list is not affiliated with any astronomy club. To unsubscribe go to: http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/utah-astronomy Then enter your email address in the space provided and click on "Unsubscribe or edit options". _______________________________________________ Utah-Astronomy mailing list http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/utah-astronomy Send messages to the list to Utah-Astronomy@mailman.xmission.com The Utah-Astronomy mailing list is not affiliated with any astronomy club. To unsubscribe go to: http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/utah-astronomy Then enter your email address in the space provided and click on "Unsubscribe or edit options".
I haven't found any ads for my model yet. I've only had it since last Friday and haven't had much time to research it's particular history. I know that Unitron sold one, very similar to mine, as did Tasco and a few other telescope importers of the day. Here is a link to a 1958 Tasco catalog, with a picture and description of their model. More than twice the money of my modest example. http://geogdata.csun.edu/~voltaire/classics/unitron/Unitron_1958Catalog.pdf Page 33, $75 I know that many people made their own, and I think the domestically produced examples were less money than the Japanese imports such as Tasco, Unitron, etc. Sputnik was launched in October of 1957, if memory serves, and I believe this program was launched as part of the IGY and only lasted into the mid-sixties, by which time government satellite-tracking facilities had been established. On Wed, May 20, 2015 at 10:23 AM, Richard Tenney via Utah-Astronomy < utah-astronomy@mailman.xmission.com> wrote:
Also, have you been able to establish the date of your little scope? Any idea of how it was marketed (if it was marketed) -- are there ads in S&T, etc. for such things back in the 50's? /R.
Rich, the way I understand it is, astro clubs and groups volunteered to take part. Individuals joined the clubs. I don't think the government handed-out the scopes, I believe the various groups had to procure them, themselves. That may explain the large number of variants that existed. Mine, from the early to mid sixties, carries a price tag of $29.99, which was not pocket change in those days. The build quality is good. All metal components, cast metal base, nice optics. On Wed, May 20, 2015 at 10:16 AM, Richard Tenney via Utah-Astronomy < utah-astronomy@mailman.xmission.com> wrote:
If an amateur was "enlisted", does this mean such a scope was given to them by the federal government, or enlisted as in "buy this little scope and help us defeat the Russkys!"? If the latter, how much did it cost for an interested party to help out? I'm also curious about the quality of the optics/workmanship (hard to tell from the photo). Regardless, thanks for sharing this bit of historical trivia Chuck! /R.
A couple of recent postings by you, including this one, prompts me to opine this would be a good subject for a SLAS general meeting. I think the membership would interested in the history and anecdotes behind a number of the scopes you have collected and/or restored over the years. You have a mini-museum. Maybe not so mini. Think about it :) ----- Original Message ----- From: "Chuck Hards" <chuck.hards@gmail.com> To: "Richard Tenney" <retenney@yahoo.com>, "Utah Astronomy" <utah-astronomy@mailman.xmission.com> Sent: Wednesday, May 20, 2015 11:30:26 AM Subject: Re: [Utah-astronomy] Utah-Astronomy Digest, Vol 147, Issue 24 Rich, the way I understand it is, astro clubs and groups volunteered to take part. Individuals joined the clubs. I don't think the government handed-out the scopes, I believe the various groups had to procure them, themselves. That may explain the large number of variants that existed. Mine, from the early to mid sixties, carries a price tag of $29.99, which was not pocket change in those days. The build quality is good. All metal components, cast metal base, nice optics. On Wed, May 20, 2015 at 10:16 AM, Richard Tenney via Utah-Astronomy < utah-astronomy@mailman.xmission.com> wrote:
If an amateur was "enlisted", does this mean such a scope was given to them by the federal government, or enlisted as in "buy this little scope and help us defeat the Russkys!"? If the latter, how much did it cost for an interested party to help out? I'm also curious about the quality of the optics/workmanship (hard to tell from the photo). Regardless, thanks for sharing this bit of historical trivia Chuck! /R.
_______________________________________________ Utah-Astronomy mailing list http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/utah-astronomy Send messages to the list to Utah-Astronomy@mailman.xmission.com The Utah-Astronomy mailing list is not affiliated with any astronomy club. To unsubscribe go to: http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/utah-astronomy Then enter your email address in the space provided and click on "Unsubscribe or edit options".
Maybe he could talk about his fabulous woodwork telescopes too. From: Joan Carman <jcarman6@q.com> To: Utah Astronomy <utah-astronomy@mailman.xmission.com> Sent: Wednesday, May 20, 2015 11:44 AM Subject: Re: [Utah-astronomy] Utah-Astronomy Digest, Vol 147, Issue 24 A couple of recent postings by you, including this one, prompts me to opine this would be a good subject for a SLAS general meeting. I think the membership would interested in the history and anecdotes behind a number of the scopes you have collected and/or restored over the years. You have a mini-museum. Maybe not so mini. Think about it :) ----- Original Message ----- From: "Chuck Hards" <chuck.hards@gmail.com> To: "Richard Tenney" <retenney@yahoo.com>, "Utah Astronomy" <utah-astronomy@mailman.xmission.com> Sent: Wednesday, May 20, 2015 11:30:26 AM Subject: Re: [Utah-astronomy] Utah-Astronomy Digest, Vol 147, Issue 24 Rich, the way I understand it is, astro clubs and groups volunteered to take part. Individuals joined the clubs. I don't think the government handed-out the scopes, I believe the various groups had to procure them, themselves. That may explain the large number of variants that existed. Mine, from the early to mid sixties, carries a price tag of $29.99, which was not pocket change in those days. The build quality is good. All metal components, cast metal base, nice optics. On Wed, May 20, 2015 at 10:16 AM, Richard Tenney via Utah-Astronomy < utah-astronomy@mailman.xmission.com> wrote:
If an amateur was "enlisted", does this mean such a scope was given to them by the federal government, or enlisted as in "buy this little scope and help us defeat the Russkys!"? If the latter, how much did it cost for an interested party to help out? I'm also curious about the quality of the optics/workmanship (hard to tell from the photo). Regardless, thanks for sharing this bit of historical trivia Chuck! /R.
_______________________________________________ Utah-Astronomy mailing list http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/utah-astronomy Send messages to the list to Utah-Astronomy@mailman.xmission.com The Utah-Astronomy mailing list is not affiliated with any astronomy club. To unsubscribe go to: http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/utah-astronomy Then enter your email address in the space provided and click on "Unsubscribe or edit options". _______________________________________________ Utah-Astronomy mailing list http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/utah-astronomy Send messages to the list to Utah-Astronomy@mailman.xmission.com The Utah-Astronomy mailing list is not affiliated with any astronomy club. To unsubscribe go to: http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/utah-astronomy Then enter your email address in the space provided and click on "Unsubscribe or edit options".
Noted and agreed :) ----- Original Message ----- From: "Joe Bauman via Utah-Astronomy" <utah-astronomy@mailman.xmission.com> To: "Utah Astronomy" <utah-astronomy@mailman.xmission.com> Sent: Wednesday, May 20, 2015 12:30:25 PM Subject: Re: [Utah-astronomy] Utah-Astronomy Digest, Vol 147, Issue 24 Maybe he could talk about his fabulous woodwork telescopes too. From: Joan Carman <jcarman6@q.com> To: Utah Astronomy <utah-astronomy@mailman.xmission.com> Sent: Wednesday, May 20, 2015 11:44 AM Subject: Re: [Utah-astronomy] Utah-Astronomy Digest, Vol 147, Issue 24 A couple of recent postings by you, including this one, prompts me to opine this would be a good subject for a SLAS general meeting. I think the membership would interested in the history and anecdotes behind a number of the scopes you have collected and/or restored over the years. You have a mini-museum. Maybe not so mini. Think about it :) ----- Original Message ----- From: "Chuck Hards" <chuck.hards@gmail.com> To: "Richard Tenney" <retenney@yahoo.com>, "Utah Astronomy" <utah-astronomy@mailman.xmission.com> Sent: Wednesday, May 20, 2015 11:30:26 AM Subject: Re: [Utah-astronomy] Utah-Astronomy Digest, Vol 147, Issue 24 Rich, the way I understand it is, astro clubs and groups volunteered to take part. Individuals joined the clubs. I don't think the government handed-out the scopes, I believe the various groups had to procure them, themselves. That may explain the large number of variants that existed. Mine, from the early to mid sixties, carries a price tag of $29.99, which was not pocket change in those days. The build quality is good. All metal components, cast metal base, nice optics. On Wed, May 20, 2015 at 10:16 AM, Richard Tenney via Utah-Astronomy < utah-astronomy@mailman.xmission.com> wrote:
If an amateur was "enlisted", does this mean such a scope was given to them by the federal government, or enlisted as in "buy this little scope and help us defeat the Russkys!"? If the latter, how much did it cost for an interested party to help out? I'm also curious about the quality of the optics/workmanship (hard to tell from the photo). Regardless, thanks for sharing this bit of historical trivia Chuck! /R.
_______________________________________________ Utah-Astronomy mailing list http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/utah-astronomy Send messages to the list to Utah-Astronomy@mailman.xmission.com The Utah-Astronomy mailing list is not affiliated with any astronomy club. To unsubscribe go to: http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/utah-astronomy Then enter your email address in the space provided and click on "Unsubscribe or edit options". _______________________________________________ Utah-Astronomy mailing list http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/utah-astronomy Send messages to the list to Utah-Astronomy@mailman.xmission.com The Utah-Astronomy mailing list is not affiliated with any astronomy club. To unsubscribe go to: http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/utah-astronomy Then enter your email address in the space provided and click on "Unsubscribe or edit options". _______________________________________________ Utah-Astronomy mailing list http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/utah-astronomy Send messages to the list to Utah-Astronomy@mailman.xmission.com The Utah-Astronomy mailing list is not affiliated with any astronomy club. To unsubscribe go to: http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/utah-astronomy Then enter your email address in the space provided and click on "Unsubscribe or edit options".
participants (5)
-
Chuck Hards -
Joan Carman -
Joe Bauman -
Richard Tenney -
Stephen Peterson