29" Secondary Mirror!!!!!!

[Damo636]

Check this beauty out guys......

http://jaysastronomyobservingblog.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/mike-clements-70-inch-reflector.html?m=1

[Pig]

Wow that is some serious piece of kit

[Naemeth]

The primary is 3/4 of the size of Hubble

[wurzelmike]

It gives the rest of us something to aim for

[E621Keith]

Wow, is he storing his scope in a hanger.

And is that thing a lighting rod on the top of the telescope?

[estwing]

i'd have it about 3 months...then AF would kick in!!

[cantab]

The way things are going seems like amateurs will be building 10 metre class scopes in my lifetime!

[twotter]

Now the next time someone starts thinking about a big dob we can point them towards this thread

[Wobbly Bob]

not exactly a grab and go

[DaveS]

Aperture envy

[russ.will]

Am I alone in thinking that 'because you can', isn't actually a good reason?

Russell

[billhinge]

just silly, imagine what the missus would say

[Beulah]

I would like the users of this telescope to publish their observation sessions.

[Damo636]

I would like the users of this telescope to publish their observation sessions.

+1

[Grotemobile]

That scope is what you call,grap & tow.

How much does something like that cost

to put together.Be nice to see some pics

of what it can take, when its compleated.

Just goes to show what some one can do.

Steve.

[JamesF]

I'm struggling to get my head around this. A 70" aperture f/6.2? So a focal length of over 36 feet? And a central obstruction that's over 41% of the diameter of the aperture? Then the focus tube is halfway back down to the ground again. Has to be one of the most unusual designs I've seen. I wonder if it will work?

James

[tonedeaf]

just posting here to show my wife at home, that my scopes and setups (maybe also the ones i´m gonna aim for) aren´t that crazy!!

wow...just wow....wouldn´t believe it if there weren´t these photos...

[E621Keith]

The primary is 3/4 of the size of Hubble

remember last year the US government gave two spy satellites to NASA, both equipped with hubble size telescope.

http://www.space.com/16000-spy-satellites-space-telescopes-nasa.html

If you watch the video, they said that 70 inch mirror is from a spy satellite

http://www.ksl.com/?...48&sid=22987812

It's just makes me wonder how many Hubble class space telescopes is up there pointed in the wrong direction (to the ground).

[crashtestdummy]

That scope looks a bit wobbly,wouldnt like to use it when its windy.i think for us mere mortals anything above 20" is too big as its just not usable

[Marki]

The way things are going seems like amateurs will be building 10 metre class scopes in my lifetime!

Add this to the possibilities for private individuals that the Spacex Dragon and other commercial ventures offer, maybe we'll actually have an amateur owned/operated hubble in my lifetime! The Chinese, Russian or other billionaires who can afford the full-on APM observatory class kit or being a space tourist might well fancy their own space scope one day - ultimate one-upmanship!