Nice refractor for sale ....

[John]

Need to have a few bob to spare though

http://www.cloudynights.com/classifieds/showproduct.php?product=81111&sort=&cat=9&page=4

I've no connection with the scope / advert - unfortunately

[Naemeth]

:Envy:

[nightfisher]

nice but hard work using a big frac like that

[foundaplanet]

Wow, I think I may get a lottery ticket this weekend.

[foundaplanet]

nice but hard work using a big frac like that

What do you mean I wouldn't be working at anything ever again if I could afford that..

[scoobee]

Amazing, you even have to pay for the post and packaging.

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

Lovely as the scope looks, I get rather angry at claims of a "research grade" achromatic refractor (12"F/12). Sorry, I do not buy that. I have seen various research instruments, and operated one (1.5m at Gornergrat, Switzerland), and the days of refractors in research are essentially gone. I have serious doubts an achromat of this size at F/12 would be really good. APM sell a 304mm apochromatic triplet at F/11.8, which suggests that get an achromatic doublet at that speed will have noticeable chromatic abberation. The APM triplet (OTA only) rather cheaper by the looks of it, leaving quite a handsome amount of money for the mount.

http://www.astroshop.eu/apm-apochromatic-refractor-ap-304-3600-cnc-ii-ota/p,8489#tab_bar_1_select

[Dunkster]

I'm just disappointed there's no "order in the next 1 hour 43 minutes for delivery on Friday 21st June"

[DirkSteele]

What a load of nonsense. I can only think that the advert has been placed for one of two reasons.

1) The Vendor is delusional. I expect this is not the case. He does go a small way to justifying the price by including the following "Ed Byers states that his company will no longer be making analog setting circles. He also states that he will no longer be building any Byers Series III mountings similar to mine. He added that, if he did (which he isn’t going to do again), he would have to charge at least $400,000 for it."

or...

2) Despite the claims to the contrary, this ad is very much a look at me, look what I have (even though it was already featured in Sky & Telescope) by the item being listed at such a ridiculous price that it generates lots of forum gossip like this thread and as of this moment 2,450 views of the sale listing.

As Michael points APM offer triplets of that size (and larger) for less money. Their 12" f/7 triplet is around £160,000. And if you have a spare £500,000 give or take, you can have a binocular scope made from 2 of them as a Chinese client recent did!

[Stargazer_00]

That's mental. Can you imagine using those bins with those counterweights over your head like that? Crazy.

[Dunkster]

Yeah that'd need some kind of back yard obsy

[Macavity]

Well, there aren't many "Ed Noffsingers" on the internet... One has multiple degrees

in Psychology and Engineering Physics... Can't comment on the "sanity" aspect.

A potential purchaser would either have powers of judgment or dosh to be frivolous?

Is the location Hawii or So.Ca? Flora, anyone? Throw in the house / location FREE!

I quite enjoy reading the technical specs of such things.

Guess my ST102 now needs a steering wheel! <sigh>

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

Yeah that'd need some kind of back yard obsy

You mean mountaintop observatory. A white Persian cat and an underground laboratory would go nicely with it as well.

For that kind of money, get yourself a BIG dob, a big RC and a brace of fast imaging APOs or the odd Officina Stellare Veloce RH 300 300mm F/3 thrown in for good measure.