What's the oldest astro gear you have?

[L8-Nite]

On ‎08‎/‎11‎/‎2020 at 15:22, markse68 said:

That’s a beautiful moon map L8- can’t make out the signature- can you help? I’d love a print of it for the wall

Mark

PM and photos sent.

[markse68]

3 hours ago, L8-Nite said:

PM and photos sent.

Hi Mike, thanks very much for that- the artist was an engraver/cartographer John Senex, contemporary to the book. Interesting are the names of the features used. Now I just need to find a print of it but Google isn't being very helpful! I think it must have been an illustration just for that book. I did find an online copy of it though- looks interesting reading! https://archive.org/details/astrotheologyor01derhgoog/page/n35/mode/2up

[globular]

45 minutes ago, markse68 said:

Hi Mike, thanks very much for that- the artist was an engraver/cartographer John Senex, contemporary to the book. Interesting are the names of the features used. Now I just need to find a print of it but Google isn't being very helpful! I think it must have been an illustration just for that book. I did find an online copy of it though- looks interesting reading! https://archive.org/details/astrotheologyor01derhgoog/page/n35/mode/2up

Mark,  the link below seems to be the same engraving.... within "An Exact Description of the Total and Visible Eclipse of the Moon, August 29th 1718 in the Evening. Engraved by John Senex, 1724"

http://www.mhs.ox.ac.uk/collections/imu-search-page/record-details/?TitInventoryNo=13609&querytype=field&thumbnails=on

[markse68]

7 minutes ago, globular said:

Mark,  the link below seems to be the same engraving.... within "An Exact Description of the Total and Visible Eclipse of the Moon, August 29th 1718 in the Evening. Engraved by John Senex, 1724"

http://www.mhs.ox.ac.uk/collections/imu-search-page/record-details/?TitInventoryNo=13609&querytype=field&thumbnails=on

Thanks Glob! Senex did some wonderful work from what I've seen- I think I might spend some time researching him 

Mark

[globular]

3 minutes ago, markse68 said:

Thanks Glob! Senex did some wonderful work from what I've seen- I think I might spend some time researching him 

Mark

Amazing how he, and others, did what they did back then.
Shall we swap our sketching pencils for a burin?

[Astrid]

On 28/03/2006 at 22:19, Mick.G. said:

Do you keep it for:-

A) sentimental reason's

because you use it regularly.

With the amount of gear changes I just wondered?

Mick

P.S & I'm nosey

A children refractor on a table top faulty ALT-AZ mount and the worst all-plastic focuser I have ever seen in a scope.

I remember how amazing it felt to sit on concrete (I personally hate table top mounts) and look at the moon for the first time ever.  

I lost the screw that holds the diagonal prism a few years ago and ever since that prism is duct taped =))

Of course the 200P and the equatorial mount are incomparable, but I gave the achromat to my sister and she loves to struggle to find the moon herself. 

 

Astrid

[Whistlin Bob]

Not strictly speaking an astro item, but I only use it for astro photography: a 1976 Jupiter 135mm lens from back in the USSR. 

[L8-Nite]

10 hours ago, globular said:

Mark,  the link below seems to be the same engraving.... within "An Exact Description of the Total and Visible Eclipse of the Moon, August 29th 1718 in the Evening. Engraved by John Senex, 1724"

http://www.mhs.ox.ac.uk/collections/imu-search-page/record-details/?TitInventoryNo=13609&querytype=field&thumbnails=on

Thank you for posting this.

[estwing]

My eyeballs...

[MylesGibson]

The oldest one I own hasn't been in my possession for that long. I have only had it about 2 years, but I got it as a freebie from the previous owner and it dates back a while!

Criterion Dynamax 8 on the old fork mount. Optics are still decent and the motors still work fine. I don't use it as often as my other scopes as it takes much more effort to set up and align, but when I do use it, it still gives me pleasing views! It does need some work on the optical alignment I feel, but I have never looked into how to do it.

Not too sure on the year of this thing either!

Edited November 10, 2020 by MylesGibson

[John]

I still have my old Tasco 60mm refractor with it's mount, original eyepieces etc. They date from the 1960's.

Some of my regularly used kit is probably 20 years old now eg: the Vixen ED102SS.

 

[Seelive]

Apart from numerous astronomy books dating from the late 60's, I've still got my Johnson postcard enlarger (#1 I think -for 120 size film) dating from about 1969 that I used when I first started developing and printing my astrophotos.  It now lives in the loft next to the hi-fi system and all the other stuff from my early days 😆. There should also be an Astronomical Equipment (Luton) 4" f8 mirror and flat from my first homemade telescope that I built around the same time but I've not seen that for a lot of years, it's  probably at the bottom of a box.