Rich and I have talked briefly about possibly having a "vintage telescope" star-party, or maybe a "vintage" night at an already scheduled star party at SPOC or some other site. I recently bought a 1979 Criterion RV-6 Dynascope in excellent condition, and have Don's old Cave 10", which he kept in excellent shape all the years he owned it. Rich has both 6" and 8" Dynascopes. Many of you have older scopes that still perform flawlessly. Just yesterday I bought a 4" Dynascope from a seller on KSL, it too is in excellent condition and came with an original eyepiece. Around 55 years old or so! And I am working on a restoration of my old Edmund 4.25" Palomar Jr. Newtonian. It might be fun to have a night with a collection of telescopes say, 30 years old or older. Give people a chance to see what we used back in the "old days", and demonstrate that just because a telescope is old, doesn't mean it's not a good performer. Anyone who has looked through a Dynascope, or Siegfried's Clark, knows the truth of this. Any group interest in something like this? Owners of older scopes, what have you got? Roll-call, please post the details. Thanks!
My RV-6 is from 1972, as is the custom deluxe Dynascope 8" (with a professional tube repair, lengthened tripod legs and fresh coat of paint thanks to Chuck). Both deliver excellent images. /R ________________________________ From: Chuck Hards <chuck.hards@gmail.com> To: Utah Astronomy <utah-astronomy@mailman.xmission.com> Sent: Friday, June 20, 2014 12:56 PM Subject: [Utah-astronomy] Vintage telescopes Rich and I have talked briefly about possibly having a "vintage telescope" star-party, or maybe a "vintage" night at an already scheduled star party at SPOC or some other site. I recently bought a 1979 Criterion RV-6 Dynascope in excellent condition, and have Don's old Cave 10", which he kept in excellent shape all the years he owned it. Rich has both 6" and 8" Dynascopes. Many of you have older scopes that still perform flawlessly. Just yesterday I bought a 4" Dynascope from a seller on KSL, it too is in excellent condition and came with an original eyepiece. Around 55 years old or so! And I am working on a restoration of my old Edmund 4.25" Palomar Jr. Newtonian. It might be fun to have a night with a collection of telescopes say, 30 years old or older. Give people a chance to see what we used back in the "old days", and demonstrate that just because a telescope is old, doesn't mean it's not a good performer. Anyone who has looked through a Dynascope, or Siegfried's Clark, knows the truth of this. Any group interest in something like this? Owners of older scopes, what have you got? Roll-call, please post the details. Thanks! _______________________________________________ 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".
Cave 10" f/6 Custom Super Deluxe on polished Astrola mount (1975), 8" Byers drive retrofit, JMI focuser retrofit, both done by Don Colton RV-6 6" Dynascope (1979) 4" Dynascope (~1960) Penncrest 60mm x 1000mm refractor on EQ-2 style mount, original mahogany box (~1970s) Edmund 4.25" Palomar Jr. f/11 Newt (under restoration) Jaegers 110mm f/4.5 RFT refractor on Jaegers 1" shaft GEM (recent OTA build) mount and objective circa 1980) 50mm f/20 refractor OTA on Edmund 5/8" shaft GEM (Objective is ~1950s American manufacture, mount is circa 1960s - 70s on home made tripod) On Fri, Jun 20, 2014 at 1:20 PM, Richard Tenney via Utah-Astronomy < utah-astronomy@mailman.xmission.com> wrote:
My RV-6 is from 1972, as is the custom deluxe Dynascope 8" (with a professional tube repair, lengthened tripod legs and fresh coat of paint thanks to Chuck).
Both deliver excellent images. /R
What about a Celestron 8" schmidt-cassegrain, circa 1980, original tripod, fork mount and drive, orange tube, looking a little picked on these days, still in regular use. Probably can still find an original eyepiece in the collection. Or how about a 6" Brandt Refractor, circa 1982, wood tripod, Buyers drive, two Clave eyepieces just as old. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Chuck Hards" <chuck.hards@gmail.com> To: "Richard Tenney" <retenney@yahoo.com>, "Utah Astronomy" <utah-astronomy@mailman.xmission.com> Sent: Friday, June 20, 2014 1:49:19 PM Subject: Re: [Utah-astronomy] Vintage telescopes Cave 10" f/6 Custom Super Deluxe on polished Astrola mount (1975), 8" Byers drive retrofit, JMI focuser retrofit, both done by Don Colton RV-6 6" Dynascope (1979) 4" Dynascope (~1960) Penncrest 60mm x 1000mm refractor on EQ-2 style mount, original mahogany box (~1970s) Edmund 4.25" Palomar Jr. f/11 Newt (under restoration) Jaegers 110mm f/4.5 RFT refractor on Jaegers 1" shaft GEM (recent OTA build) mount and objective circa 1980) 50mm f/20 refractor OTA on Edmund 5/8" shaft GEM (Objective is ~1950s American manufacture, mount is circa 1960s - 70s on home made tripod) On Fri, Jun 20, 2014 at 1:20 PM, Richard Tenney via Utah-Astronomy < utah-astronomy@mailman.xmission.com> wrote:
My RV-6 is from 1972, as is the custom deluxe Dynascope 8" (with a professional tube repair, lengthened tripod legs and fresh coat of paint thanks to Chuck).
Both deliver excellent images. /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".
Don and Joan, the Questar, older SCTs and Brandt refractors all fit the "vintage" bill, and would all be welcome additions to such a gathering! The more I think about it, the more fun this sounds.
While I was mowing the lawn today, I thought maybe we could have a judge or panel of judges review the vintage scopes and present awards. Possible categories: 1. Best unrestored condition (only minor touch-ups and period after-market modifications allowed) 2. Best restoration (major restoration work done to either mount, OTA, or both) 3. Most pleasing imagery (this takes into account things like aperture, so the big scopes don't have an advantage. The image is judged based upon an ideal situation for that aperture and seeing conditions. It's not a test of measured optical quality) 4. Best vintage eyepiece/accessory collection 5. Best of Show (Either judges choice or spectators choice, based on votes) Vintage/period eyepieces would be preferred while at the star party, but not mandatory. Use of vintage/period eyepieces could be a plus in the eyes of the judges. What do you all think about this? If any SLAS board members are reading this thread, what do you think about tacking this onto a SPOC star party sometime this summer, perhaps in August?
Chuck, Will this be open to the "Clarke" that someone we know owns? Rodger C. Fry -----Original Message----- From: Utah-Astronomy [mailto:utah-astronomy-bounces@mailman.xmission.com] On Behalf Of Chuck Hards Sent: Friday, June 20, 2014 4:24 PM To: Utah Astronomy Subject: Re: [Utah-astronomy] Vintage telescopes While I was mowing the lawn today, I thought maybe we could have a judge or panel of judges review the vintage scopes and present awards. Possible categories: 1. Best unrestored condition (only minor touch-ups and period after-market modifications allowed) 2. Best restoration (major restoration work done to either mount, OTA, or both) 3. Most pleasing imagery (this takes into account things like aperture, so the big scopes don't have an advantage. The image is judged based upon an ideal situation for that aperture and seeing conditions. It's not a test of measured optical quality) 4. Best vintage eyepiece/accessory collection 5. Best of Show (Either judges choice or spectators choice, based on votes) Vintage/period eyepieces would be preferred while at the star party, but not mandatory. Use of vintage/period eyepieces could be a plus in the eyes of the judges. What do you all think about this? If any SLAS board members are reading this thread, what do you think about tacking this onto a SPOC star party sometime this summer, perhaps in August? _______________________________________________ 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".
Hi Chuck, I'm not a SLAS member and my scope certainly wouldn't win any of the categories below - but I still have my old 3" Edmund Scientific reflector that I received for Christmas in 1968. Paper tube, single 0.986 inch Kellner eyepiece, 45 degree angle "tilted" mount, plastic eyepiece holder - i.e. very, very basic scope - but I still love it because it really opened up new vistas to me. Clear skies, Dale. -----Original Message----- From: Utah-Astronomy [mailto:utah-astronomy-bounces@mailman.xmission.com] On Behalf Of Chuck Hards Sent: Friday, June 20, 2014 4:24 PM To: Utah Astronomy Subject: Re: [Utah-astronomy] Vintage telescopes While I was mowing the lawn today, I thought maybe we could have a judge or panel of judges review the vintage scopes and present awards. Possible categories: 1. Best unrestored condition (only minor touch-ups and period after-market modifications allowed) 2. Best restoration (major restoration work done to either mount, OTA, or both) 3. Most pleasing imagery (this takes into account things like aperture, so the big scopes don't have an advantage. The image is judged based upon an ideal situation for that aperture and seeing conditions. It's not a test of measured optical quality) 4. Best vintage eyepiece/accessory collection 5. Best of Show (Either judges choice or spectators choice, based on votes) Vintage/period eyepieces would be preferred while at the star party, but not mandatory. Use of vintage/period eyepieces could be a plus in the eyes of the judges. What do you all think about this? If any SLAS board members are reading this thread, what do you think about tacking this onto a SPOC star party sometime this summer, perhaps in August? _______________________________________________ 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".
Dale, I had one of those 3" Edmund scopes when I was a kid. I passed it on to another beginner decades ago, but I do remember it fondly. You don't have to be a SLAS member to come to SPOC, so if you can make it, if and when we do this, please bring the little Edmund scope. It's a perfect example of what many of us started with. And I would love to see it and look through one again! On Fri, Jun 20, 2014 at 5:13 PM, Dale Hooper <Dale.Hooper@sdl.usu.edu> wrote:
Hi Chuck,
I'm not a SLAS member and my scope certainly wouldn't win any of the categories below - but I still have my old 3" Edmund Scientific reflector that I received for Christmas in 1968.
Paper tube, single 0.986 inch Kellner eyepiece, 45 degree angle "tilted" mount, plastic eyepiece holder - i.e. very, very basic scope - but I still love it because it really opened up new vistas to me.
Clear skies, Dale.
A great idea Chuck. I am not sure I can make it but take some good photos. I still have a 1970's Questar. I bought it used but think it is about 1972 based on the serial number. -----Original Message----- From: Utah-Astronomy [mailto:utah-astronomy-bounces+djcolton=piol.com@mailman.xmission.com] On Behalf Of Chuck Hards Sent: Friday, June 20, 2014 12:56 PM To: Utah Astronomy Subject: [Utah-astronomy] Vintage telescopes Rich and I have talked briefly about possibly having a "vintage telescope" star-party, or maybe a "vintage" night at an already scheduled star party at SPOC or some other site. I recently bought a 1979 Criterion RV-6 Dynascope in excellent condition, and have Don's old Cave 10", which he kept in excellent shape all the years he owned it. Rich has both 6" and 8" Dynascopes. Many of you have older scopes that still perform flawlessly. Just yesterday I bought a 4" Dynascope from a seller on KSL, it too is in excellent condition and came with an original eyepiece. Around 55 years old or so! And I am working on a restoration of my old Edmund 4.25" Palomar Jr. Newtonian. It might be fun to have a night with a collection of telescopes say, 30 years old or older. Give people a chance to see what we used back in the "old days", and demonstrate that just because a telescope is old, doesn't mean it's not a good performer. Anyone who has looked through a Dynascope, or Siegfried's Clark, knows the truth of this. Any group interest in something like this? Owners of older scopes, what have you got? Roll-call, please post the details. Thanks! _______________________________________________ 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".
Next year will be the centennial year for the 1915 Alvan Clark refractor. Sig On Fri, Jun 20, 2014 at 12:56 PM, Chuck Hards <chuck.hards@gmail.com> wrote:
Rich and I have talked briefly about possibly having a "vintage telescope" star-party, or maybe a "vintage" night at an already scheduled star party at SPOC or some other site.
I recently bought a 1979 Criterion RV-6 Dynascope in excellent condition, and have Don's old Cave 10", which he kept in excellent shape all the years he owned it. Rich has both 6" and 8" Dynascopes. Many of you have older scopes that still perform flawlessly.
Just yesterday I bought a 4" Dynascope from a seller on KSL, it too is in excellent condition and came with an original eyepiece. Around 55 years old or so! And I am working on a restoration of my old Edmund 4.25" Palomar Jr. Newtonian.
It might be fun to have a night with a collection of telescopes say, 30 years old or older. Give people a chance to see what we used back in the "old days", and demonstrate that just because a telescope is old, doesn't mean it's not a good performer. Anyone who has looked through a Dynascope, or Siegfried's Clark, knows the truth of this.
Any group interest in something like this?
Owners of older scopes, what have you got? Roll-call, please post the details.
Thanks! _______________________________________________ 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
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-- Siegfried
It would almost certainly win a prize for oldest telescope! Please bring it, if and when we do this, Siegfried. People need to look through it and see just how excellent the imagery can be from a telescope that dates to World War One. On Fri, Jun 20, 2014 at 6:08 PM, Siegfried Jachmann <siegfried@jachmann.org> wrote:
Next year will be the centennial year for the 1915 Alvan Clark refractor.
Here's a story about the first operational telescope at Polomar Observatory, an 18-inch Schmidt built in 1936. It served Eleanor "Glo" Helin in her search for near-Earth asteroids and bringing them to serious scientific attention in her book, "Near-Earth Asteroids: Finding Them Before They Find Us." The vintage scope has been restored and is on display at the Polomar Observatory. http://caltech.planyourlegacy.org/Asteroid-Hunt-Captured.php Enjoy, Ed Stimpson
participants (8)
-
CenturyLink Customer -
Chuck Hards -
Dale Hooper -
Don J. Colton -
Ed -
Richard Tenney -
Rodger C. Fry -
Siegfried Jachmann