Telescopes?

[loron91423]

Please enjoy the enclosed link: http://www.clintsong.com/UpdatePage.html

[hypertone]

Nope, but getting one has always been in the back of my mind. One day maybe. Actually, I had one when I was a kid, but everything I looked at was upside down, and I ruined it by taking it apart in an attempt to "fix" it. :screwy:

[ByteWrangler]

Those classic Equitorial f/15 acromatic refractors are their own kind of magic, aren't they?

Modern reflectors are actually much better, optically, in most practical ways, but you gotta love those old beauties!

I visited the Lick Observatory (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lick_Observatory), years ago. The 36" refractor (2nd largest in the world for a century, now, apparently, third (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_largest_optical_refracting_telescopes)) was shut down at the time because earthquake damage had made the building's movable floor unsafe, but we could still see it. What an amazing instrument! Light pollution from San Jose and the bay area hasn't helped it, but it is still used. From the list of large refractors, note that the 20th Century is absent until you reach near the bottom of the list (smaller instruments) and those are early. That's when large reflectors took over.

In Astronomy, aperture (diameter, or light-gathering ability) is the coin of the realm, not "power", and reflecting telescopes excel there in bang for the buck.

[ekmanning5]

About two years ago I was fortunate enough to spend an evening at the Yerkes observatory in Wisconsin. I believe the refractor there is the largest in the world. Although only used by one scientist now, we were give a demonstration as to how it works. The entire floor of the huge room it was in rotates and raises or lowers to adjust the scope. Awesome. Here's a link to a web site about Yerkes.
http://astro.uchicago.edu/vtour/40inch/

[loron91423]

Thanks for all your comments and the links. Stereos and telescope will do it to you every time. So make the money and get the technology.