What's this vintage telescope?

Putaendo Patrick · October 21, 2016

Currently up for sale in Chile is this telescope:

Muñoz-telescope.jpg

The fact that it is wrapped in plastic doesn't exactly help to identify it! It comes with a load of Cave Optical Co. brochures, so could it just be one of the few Cave refractors which were apparently produced? Or perhaps a Unitron? Any thoughts very welcome....

The telescope belonged to Carlos Muñoz Ferrada, 1909-2001, a Chilean astronomer who had certain success predicting earthquakes and claimed a giant comet/planet Hercolubus would destroy the Earth in 1999 - a perennial theme in Latin American pseudo-science!

It's rumoured the police wouldn't let him out of his house as he tended to panic the population.

The asking price, if you need to ask it's not for you :icon_biggrin: , a little over 35,000 pounds. I certainly won't be buying it any time soon, and doubt anyone else will either - but it very definitely piqued my curiosity.

http://www.yapo.cl/region_metropolitana/hobbies_outdoor/telescopio_de_carlos_munoz_ferrada_35380990.htm?ca=15_s&oa=35380990&xsp=45

Edited October 21, 2016 by Putaendo Patrick
Spelin & Grama

Peter Drew · October 21, 2016

A bit cheaper 35,000 USD, pity it's not Yen! :icon_biggrin:

Steve Ward · October 21, 2016

Looks like a Unitron 160 ... :icon_albino:

Unitron 4 inch Model 160 photo equatorial telescope with tripod (32,715 bytes)

Putaendo Patrick · October 21, 2016

Thanks, Steve - it looks very close indeed! I'm sure you're spot on.

And, Peter, before you smash open the piggy-bank, the currency is Chilean pesos - which at the moment, with the horrid exchange rate, is a wacking 43,050 pounds!

For reference, two similar Unitrons (with wooden tripods) sold a few years ago in the US and in Australia for about 3,700 pounds each according to today's exchange. So either Carlos Muñoz has a seriously wealthy cult following, or the seller has no idea :happy7:

mikeDnight · October 22, 2016

Looks very much like a clock driven 4" Unitron to me. Very nice! Very desirable! Way too expensive!

Mike

L8-Nite · October 23, 2016

On ‎21‎/‎10‎/‎2016 at 16:51, Peter Drew said:

A bit cheaper 35,000 USD, pity it's not Yen!

I guess now-a-days you have to pay a heavy price for nostalgia. On the APM site there is a 110 mm Zeiss that seems to have been on there forever. It was priced at 28,000 euros, but now is 79,000 euros; got to laugh.

Dave In Vermont · October 23, 2016

Unitron is my first guess as well.

I'll try to attach a Unitron 1972 Catalog in the post here. But I have a more likely Unitron Catalog from 1956 - which is over 20mgs - which I can't send through SGL. If you'd like that, I'll send you a PM to email me at. I'll be glad to send it to you through email

unitron72.pdf

Hope this works & watch for a PM,

Dave

mikeDnight · October 23, 2016

From the 1950's to the 70's the Unitrons were state of the art refractors which commanded a very high price for a top of the range unit such as that in the original post. Although in this advert (attached) a $128 down payment is required, the overall cost is nearer the price of a house, and was a significant outlay for the period. By comparison a modern day state of the art 4" refractor is chicken feed. I think the Unitron is a truly beautiful refractor and if i had the money for such a beauty id pay it. Thankfully im stoney broke and console myself with the sobering thought that the scope i possess will whopp the socks off the Unitron in terms of fov, light transmission, CA, optical quality and portability, and only cost as much as a small second hand car.

Mike :icon_compress: