What is Your Droolworthy Telescope?

[Mandy D]

I've always been a huge fan of Planewave CDK and RC telescopes and I was just browsing their website tonight and came across this picture that I just had to share with you. It features a 1 metre and two 600 mm aperture telescopes installed in Chile.

What is your droolworthy telescope?

[doublevodka]

This - https://vaonis.com/hyperia/en/ although it will definitely split opinion on here, I like the design, the way it's fully integrated, and the fact it can be installed outside with no observatory.

Plus it just looks smart in this shot

[Mandy D]

@doublevodka I can see why you like this. It has very clean lines and looks like a telescope. I feel it is reminiscent of the seaside telescopes that you used to shove coins in to use. I can only describe it as looking like a Dobsonian pier.

[doublevodka]

2 minutes ago, Mandy D said:

@doublevodka I can see why you like this. It has very clean lines and looks like a telescope. I feel it is reminiscent of the seaside telescopes that you used to shove coins in to use. I can only describe it as looking like a Dobsonian pier.

Definitely an air of seaside telescope there, I hadn't thought of the dob thing, but that makes sense!

[tomato]

I couldn’t make much improvement on your original post, big aperture, long FL quality scopes on quality mounts in an enviable location. I know you can access all of this remotely (if you have deep pockets) but the trouble is I do like to be next to the rig when it is doing it’s stuff.

At some point in the future when I’m too old to keep changing my rig around, I might sell most of my existing set up and just get a Planewave. It’s a crazy notion, but no more so than owning a vintage car.

[Mandy D]

@tomato The Planewave is a tough one to beat. Maybe I set the bar too high at the start. At least it won't break down as much as a vintage car, spending more time in the garage than on the road, so to speak.

[Mr Spock]

As a planetary observer, a 250mm apo is hard to beat.

[DaveS]

I'm more of an ASA fanboi

https://astrograph.net/Brands/ASA

 

[Mandy D]

28 minutes ago, DaveS said:

I'm more of an ASA fanboi

https://astrograph.net/Brands/ASA

 

Yes, I think you are right. These are awesome. I like the ASA AZ2000 RC at a cool £3 560 000.00.

[Peter Drew]

"Droolworthy" is largely governed by one's interest.  A large SCT is probably the best telescope for outreach, my main interest.  A 16" SCT for this purpose would be my "drewlworthy" telescope if I hadn't already got two of them!           🙂

[AstroKriss]

2 hours ago, doublevodka said:

This - https://vaonis.com/hyperia/en/ although it will definitely split opinion on here, I like the design, the way it's fully integrated, and the fact it can be installed outside with no observatory.

Plus it just looks smart in this shot

This looks very sleek

[kirkster501]

1 hour ago, Mr Spock said:

As a planetary observer, a 250mm apo is hard to beat.

 

A cool $60000 even in the US.  By the time it has been shipped and duties paid in the UK it would be a £80k scope and you'd need a large obs and a tall pier to mount it in.   What a scope that would be.   Yuri makes four of them per year on average he told me.

I have the TEC140 which is also amazing.

[knobby]

2 hours ago, doublevodka said:

This - https://vaonis.com/hyperia/en/ although it will definitely split opinion on here, I like the design, the way it's fully integrated, and the fact it can be installed outside with no observatory.

Plus it just looks smart in this shot

Wow, I'd dismissed these Vaonis things as toys !

This one looks amazing, £45 k though Mmmmmmm

[RT65CB-SWL]

Mine was the TeleVue Ranger...

Fast forward to 1998 and I bought one!

[Mandy D]

45 minutes ago, RT65CB-SWL said:

Mine was the TeleVue Ranger...

Fast forward to 1998 and I bought one!

 

That is an interesting and conservative choice. I guess it is the sharp optics that drew you to it.

[Mandy D]

2 hours ago, Mr Spock said:

As a planetary observer, a 250mm apo is hard to beat.

Hard to beat, hard to mount, hard to afford, but what a refractor! Great choice.

[maw lod qan]

Forget those planewave telescopes!

Look at that roll back observatory!

And I thought I was finished building observatories!

[Mandy D]

5 minutes ago, maw lod qan said:

Forget those planewave telescopes!

Look at that roll back observatory!

And I thought I was finished building observatories!

Yes! Yes! Yes! That was one of the things I was looking at. That and the awesome landscape it is set in. I'm almost tempted to make my observatory to that same design, only a touch smaller.

I still want the Planewave, but the observatory is droolworthy, too.

Edited September 18, 2023 by Mandy D
Dang typos!

[AstroMuni]

1 minute ago, Mandy D said:

Yes! Yes! Yes! That was one of the things I was looking at. That and the awesome landscape it is set in. I' almost tempted to make my observatory to that same design, only a touch smaller.

I still want the Planewave, but the observatory is droolworthy, too.

3 things droolworthy in that picture - planewave equipment, rollback obsy and the lovely skies. We could get the first two here but definitely not the last 🙂

[JeremyS]

Can’t wait to see what MikeDNight says

[JeremyS]

[mikeDnight]

I agree with Mr Spock. A 250mm apochromat would be the ultimate observatory set-up. It would have to have a nice observatory building and dome to complement it though! My first choice would be a 250mm Takahashi on a Tak equatorial.

and just to give a sense of scale:

 

A close second would be an observatory set-up like this

I like Takahashi!!!

[RT65CB-SWL]

2 hours ago, mikeDnight said:

...and just to give a sense of scale:

...

No need for a paid-membership at the local gym. Just have a workout and pumping iron at the observatory with those declination weights. 😉😜

[AstroKriss]

I'm pretty chuffed with my current setup pictured) but what im drooling over at the moment is between an C11 Edge HD SCT, and or a large 120mm Triplet Refractor...... (might need to sell a kidney to get either).

[Mandy D]

39 minutes ago, AstroKriss said:

I'm pretty chuffed with my current setup pictured) but what im drooling over at the moment is between an C11 Edge HD SCT, and or a large 120mm Triplet Refractor...... (might need to sell a kidney to get either).

That's a nice setup.