Those Pretty Telescopes

[Nicola Fletcher]

14 hours ago, dobbyisbest said:

Moon Telescopes’ dobs look like they were forged in heaven

That’s an absolutely beautiful thing, just imagine having that set up in a true dark sky site. 

14 hours ago, cajen2 said:

every Tak owner on here will post pics and it'll become another "I've got a Tak" thread....😄

I have a Tak and love it, but having thought about this, I find amazing-looking telescopes fit the bill.

Great idea for a thread topic @Sunshine!

Edited November 20, 2022 by Nicola Fletcher

[dweller25]

My three “good lookers”……..

Edited November 19, 2022 by dweller25

[Sunshine]

49 minutes ago, MalcolmM said:

Sacrilege! I've a Tak in every room just to look at. My partner even clobbered me once for looking lasciviously at the one in the bedroom (60CB)

Malcolm 

Lol, it’s ok I caress mine, yeah the creep factor is off the scale, I know.

[JeremyS]

Ugly ugly ugly

😊

[allworlds]

That Great Weatherell Refractor @Steve Ward posted, that's a good look. As far as modern stuff goes, yeah I think Vixen fracs just have a certain something about them.

I dig Explorer Scientific's BT series too. Similar aesthetics to the Vixens but two tubes is twice as good right ?

[Sunshine]

7 minutes ago, allworlds said:

That Great Weatherell Refractor @Steve Ward posted, that's a good look. As far as modern stuff goes, yeah I think Vixen fracs just have a certain something about them.

I dig Explorer Scientific's BT series too. Similar aesthetics to the Vixens but two tubes is twice as good right ?

+1 about the Vixen fracs, I love the look of those.

[F15Rules]

50 minutes ago, JeremyS said:

Ugly ugly ugly

😊

..but the mount looks nice though..

Dave

Edited November 19, 2022 by F15Rules

[CCD-Freak]

Here is my AP900 with a SharpStar 150mm F2.8 Hyper Newt.  I like the red, white and blue as well as the carbon fiber tube. 

The AP900 also looks nice with a long white tube ES 127ED on top....again in red, white and blue.  (^8

 

Edited November 19, 2022 by CCD-Freak

[Alien 13]

1 hour ago, JeremyS said:

Ugly ugly ugly

😊

It certainly is, looks like it belongs in a hospital 😀

Alan

[Sunshine]

4 minutes ago, Alien 13 said:

It certainly is, looks like it belongs in a hospital 😀

Alan

Indeed it does, right next to all the other precision, carefully crafted instruments you’ll find in a hospital.

[Lee_P]

I always thought that my kitted out Askar FRA400 looked pretty badass, and I had it sitting on a shelf by my desk when not in use. Now my Askar 130PHQ has the astrophotography kit, but is too heavy for the shelf!

 

[Sunshine]

27 minutes ago, Lee_P said:

I always thought that my kitted out Askar FRA400 looked pretty badass, and I had it sitting on a shelf by my desk when not in use. Now my Askar 130PHQ has the astrophotography kit, but is too heavy for the shelf!

 

They look amazing but especially the image of the 130 is beautifully composed and exposed! would be great if this thread suddenly morphed into a "show us your best image of your scope" thread, your 130 shot would be a finalist, I would say.

Edited November 19, 2022 by Sunshine

[F15Rules]

Here are 3 scopes that I've owned in the past, and always felt were drop dead gorgeous..

In order of earliest one owned first:

1) - Ylena 150mm Maksutov F14. I just love the plain industrial black paint finish, and the beautifully purple tinted front corrector plate (if it were an objective lens Jeremy would describe it as "lickable"🤦😂).

A stupendously good scope optically, it would give my FS128 a really good run for it's money.

I owned this in 2010 for c 3 years, should never have sold it.. and it had a built in handle!

2 ) - Classic D&G USA 5" F15 Achromat Refractor: IMHO a truly beautiful scope, in classic white, with unique wooden rings, dewshield that seamlessly blended into the main tube - which measured 2 metres in length.

I owned this beauty for c 4 years from 2012, and had it modified by Mark Turner of Moonraker Telescopes, London. Mark cut c5" off the tube to allow native binoviewing  with no OCS. He also fitted an excellent bespoke Moonlite focuser in polished aluminium. I named the scope "Andromeda", and again, the performance of this scope truly rivalled my current Tak: textbook stellar images and superb planetary and lunar views on nights of good seeing.

Andromeda was a beast to mount, and having had a double hernia operation I sadly had to accept that I needed a more practical scope in terms of size and handling. Andromeda went to another SGL member and friend who mounted her properly, on a pier mounted EQ6 as shown below:

3 ) - Vixen ED103s F7.7 Apochromat. I think Vixens are very underrated both here in the UK and the USA, but I find them beautiful to look at and to look through.

I owned two of these during the period c 2014 - 2018, one with single speed focuser and c12 years old, the other with a microfocuser upgrade and a couple of years old (see photo below).

They are well built, classic in looks, and extremely lightweight. The Vixen ED103s has an oversized 114mm tube which tbh makes the 4" Taks look like a peashooter by comparison.. (I now own a similarly oversized 5" Tak FS128 which looks more like a 6" scope..as far as I know the FS range were the only ones to have oversized tubes - I stand to be corrected on that though).

The ED103 was the successor to the legendary Vixen FL102s fluorite apo, which itself had "to die for" classic scope looks.

I've owned two ED103s scopes and was thrilled with them both. If a 5" Vixen apo had been available I would have bought one in a heartbeat (Vixen did offer an ED130SS some years ago, but they are rare as hens teeth).

I was fortunate enough to find my FS128 back in 2016/17, while the memories of my ED103s (which I had to sell, along with most of my entire kit, to fund the Tak purchase) were still fresh in my mind. The FS128 images were brighter (which you would expect, with a 5" lens catching c 56% more light than a 4"), but in absolute optical quality terms, there was very little, if any, difference to my eyes.

So I will always consider the Vixen ED103s an absolutely top class, beautiful and underrated scope: if you see one come up used, and would like a 4" Tak but can't afford one..get the Vixen, I guarantee you'll be smiling for a very long time!👍☺️.

 

Dave

 

Edited November 19, 2022 by F15Rules

[Elp]

The Coronado Solarmaxs look pretty shiny.

[Sunshine]

7 minutes ago, F15Rules said:

Here are 3 scopes that I've owned in the past, and always felt were drop dead gorgeous..

In order of earliest one owned first:

1) - Ylena 150mm Maksutov F14. I just love the plain industrial black paint finish, and the beautifully purple tinted front corrector plate (if it were an objective lens Jeremy would describe it as "lickable"🤦😂).

A stupendously good scope optically, it would give my FS128 a really good run for it's money.

I owned this in 2010 for c 3 years, should never have sold it.. and it had a built in handle!

2 ) - Classic D&G USA 5" F15 Achromat Refractor: IMHO a truly beautiful scope, in classic white, with unique wooden rings, dewshield that seamlessly blended into the main tube - which measured 2 metres in length.

I owned this beauty for c 4 years from 2012, and had it modified by Mark Turner of Moonraker Telescopes, London. Mark cut c5" off the tube to allow native binoviewing  with no OCS. He also fitted an excellent bespoke Moonlite focuser in polished aluminium. I named the scope "Andromeda", and again, the performance of this scope truly rivalled my current Tak: textbook stellar images and superb planetary and lunar views on nights of good seeing.

Andromeda was a beast to mount, and having had a double hernia operation I sadly had to accept that I needed a more practical scope in terms of size and handling. Andromeda went to another SGL member and friend who mounted her properly, on a pier mounted EQ6 as shown below:

3 ) - Vixen ED103s F7.7 Apochromat. I think Vixens are very underrated both here in the UK and the USA, but I find them beautiful to look at and to look through.

They are well built, classic in looks, and extremely lightweight. The Vixen ED103s has an oversized 114mm tube which tbh makes the 4" Taks look like a peashooter by comparison.. (I now own a similarly oversized 5" Tak FS128 which looks more like a 6" scope..as far as I know the FS range were the only ones to have oversized tubes - I stand to be corrected on that though).

The ED103 was the successor to the legendary Vixen FL102s fluorite apo, which itself had "to die for" classic scope looks.

I've owned two ED103s scopes and was thrilled with them both. If a 5" Vixen apo had been available I would have bought one in a heartbeat (Vixen did offer an ED130SS some years ago, but they are rare as hens teeth).

I was fortunate enough to find my FS128 back in 2016/17, while the memories of my ED103s (which I had to sell, along with most of my entire kit, to fund the Tak purchase) were still fresh in my mind. The FS128 images were brighter (which you would expect, with a 5" lens catching c 56% more light than a 4"), but in absolute optical quality terms, there was very little, if any, difference to my eyes.

So I will always consider the Vixen ED103s an absolutely top class, beautiful and underrated scope: if you see one come up used, and would like a 4" Tak but can't afford one..get the Vixen, I guarantee you'll be smiling for a very long time!👍☺️.

 

Dave

 

These are just beautiful specimens here! especially that Vixen, what a vixen!! 

Jeremy has been known to sniff tripods, your optics are safe. 🤣

Edited November 19, 2022 by Sunshine

[DaveS]

If I had the funds I would buy a Porter Garden Telescope, I wouldn't even bother to ask "how much". As they say, "if you have to ask how much...".

[Sunshine]

11 minutes ago, DaveS said:

If I had the funds I would buy a Porter Garden Telescope, I wouldn't even bother to ask "how much". As they say, "if you have to ask how much...".

It’s a stunning work of art! but is it for sale? I was on their site and didn’t notice a price or even if it is for sale.

[DaveS]

Good question. I couldn't find a price either which puzzled me, hence "If you have to ask how much..."

[Sunshine]

8 minutes ago, DaveS said:

Good question. I couldn't find a price either which puzzled me, hence "If you have to ask how much..."

If I were a billionaire my wife would still insist I ask how much.

[Stu]

A random selection of some of the better looking ones. All non Taks for those of a delicate disposition 😉

[Lee_P]

10 hours ago, Sunshine said:

They look amazing but especially the image of the 130 is beautifully composed and exposed! would be great if this thread suddenly morphed into a "show us your best image of your scope" thread, your 130 shot would be a finalist, I would say.

Could be an interesting SGL imaging competition idea, maybe suggest it to the mods? 😛

 

[Mr Spock]

I'm sure the thread was intended to show 'pretty telescopes' rather than every scope you own 

Back on topic, how about these:

You've got to love a classical Cassegrain. Available up to f20 too - what an incredible planetary scope. The 400mm at f20 could do x250 with a 32mm eyepiece  Or image at prime focus. Long waiting list though 

[Stu]

10 minutes ago, Mr Spock said:

I'm sure the thread was intended to show 'pretty telescopes' rather than every scope you own 

Back on topic, how about these:

You've got to love a classical Cassegrain. Available up to f20 too - what an incredible planetary scope. The 400mm at f20 could do x250 with a 32mm eyepiece  Or image at prime focus. Long waiting list though 

A long way from being every scope I’ve owned, just the ones I think are good looking as per the thread title.

[F15Rules]

36 minutes ago, Stu said:

A random selection of some of the better looking ones. All non Taks for those of a delicate disposition 😉

Think I'm changing my SGL, er, handle (sorry🤦) to VixenRules..👍😊

Dave

[Chaz2b]

23 hours ago, L8-Nite said:

Back in 1985 while working on a construction project at the Mt. Wilson Observitory, I had the opportunity to view through a Questar 7 one evening; and I said to myself, " someday ".  🤔

Fast forward 25 years, I had retired, and " someday  " had finally arrived.  🙂 

Does those legs automatically deploy before touch down?!