Whats the largest telescope you have ever used?

[h0ughy]

i ask this question because of a recent visit to a member of the Newcastle Astronomical Society.

George Livanos is building a 48 inch scope made from an aluminuim mirror which he is currently grinding, cage and scope design which he has built and fabricated, and using every day type materials.

It is a labour of love and I am sure that Orion can fill in some of the details for me, he is getting close to achieving the projects finality (within the next 12mths i am lead to believe).

Now george took a virtually unfinished 32" scope to the SPSP 2005, aparently that has been refined a bit more, and he is currently working on a 24" with Orion. I am absolutely amazed as to georges abilities and resourcefulness.

I will get some images later and get an article done, but what an amazing amount of thought that has gone into this project And some people may remember him from Lostock this year in the river grinding a lens..............


oh i digressed, the largest scope I have looked through was a 30" at Duckadang, so I await the completion of George's project with glee;) :D :)

[rogerg]

The largest I have looked through is both of ASWA (http://aswa.info/)'s 17.5" dob's. Not often though, I'm usually too tied up in my own activities to bother, to be honest :).

[h0ughy]

an aerial view of George's place.

[Ric]

The largest scope I have used would be my 12".
The astronomical society I'm with has a 14" so I must get to a viewing night and have a look through it.

Cheers

[gary]

Hi Houghy,

Are you sure your photo analysis team got it right?
Below is attached another image of exactly the same site, but this
time imaged from an angle to reveal additional details not evident in
the overhead shot. :whistle:

Best Regards

Gary

[Omaroo]

Before anyone decides to go for an evening walk around their own backyard nekid - better remember that Houghy has the technology to watch......

[Orion]

I was surprised Houghy to find out that that was your first time over Georges place.

Yes, big George certainly amazes me.
I've known George for a few years now and I have never met anyone like him.

I remember when he started with the aluminium mirror, he made a plane out of a piece of hard wood and the blade of a circular saw and he started taking shavings off, carving the shape into the mirror.
He has come a long way since then.


The telescope.
48"f8 folded Herschelian telescope.
1.2m octagon aluminium primary mirror, 600mm aluminium secondary
and a 7" (178mm) tertiary.


Here is a pic of George holding my 24" with the 48" monster (not completed) in the back ground.

[h0ughy]

:rofl: :rofl: weapons of mass photon destruction;)

[h0ughy]

thanks ED! Glad you read new posts.............

[h0ughy]

maybe............................yo u never know;)

[gary]

Exactly. I see where you are coming from :thumbsup:

Combined with a good laser collimator, it might provide similar capability to what
the Chinese were alleged to have tested on the U.S. reconnaissance
Keyhole satellites. ;)

See http://www.defensetech.org/archives/002794.html

(Visions of cruise missile equipped guided missile destroyers now standing-by
off the Newcastle coast as we speak.)

[Outbackmanyep]

The largest scope i used....would have to be the 24" Ritchey-Chretian at the Nepean Astronomy Centre not long after it was first built....Mark Suchting did the optics for it, very nice design and the views were awesome....pity about the light pollution they now get there....fun times....There was also a 17.5" scope they had there before the 24" went in.....
Other than that i use the 14" SCT at Armidale Observatory every now and then.....
Cheers!

[Outbackmanyep]

I hate blowing my own trumpet but if Houghy is looking over my back fence one day he might get a big surprise! :lol:

:D

[h0ughy]

a 30" bino scope:D :P ????????????
:whistle:

[Geoff45]

As far as refractors go, in another life I worked as a professional astronomer in South Africa. The observatory had a 26.5" refractor. (They always emphasised that half inch.) One night the seeing was exceptional and we had 1000 power on Mars. This is going back a long way (1970) and canals on Mars was still an issue. I thought that if ever I was going to see canals on Mars it was that night. No canals, but I'll never forget the beautiful image of Mars.
Geoff

[DobDobDob]

I have used that one also, as well as mucking around with the one up at Linden, which was very old and needed a lot of work, if I can recall it correctly. Btw, I have a sister in law who used to live at Walcha but now lives at Kentucky, small planet huh? :P

[seeker372011]

I once looked through the 30 inch at Linden but it is not the best..think Bob Evans has some plans to fix what ever is wrong with it..I once looked at -not through-the Anglo Australian at Siding Springs-does that count? :)

[jjjnettie]

I have memories from Astrofest as well Dave.
Wandering in a daze from a 10" to a 12.5" to a 17.5" to a 20" to a 24" to a
30". As everyone was looking at the same thing, The Veil, it was a wonderful to make the comparisons. Then everyone moved their scopes to looking at the Ring Neb I think it was. Again, everyone was wandering from scope to scope to make the comparison. Unforgetable experience.

[gaa_ian]

The 25" obsession at IISAC2007 :thumbsup:, the Tarantula nebula looked like an exotic & alien flower in full bloom :eyepop:

BTW : Yay :cool: 1500 posts :cheers:

[CoombellKid]

Are those red lines meant to be approved council property lines?
looks like some of those have their fences in the wrong place.

I'll go 30" the same one Houghy looked through.

regards,CS

[h0ughy]

only indicative;)

[ving]

used or looked thru? I have looked thru hector but the biggest scope i have actually USED in my own 8" :)

[ving]

oh and ih houghy look into my backyard he'll see naught but the moon ;)

[h0ughy]

but cows don't jump over the moon?????:whistle: or is it a barren desolate landscape design, hand crafted after years of neglect and abuse??????:whistle::rofl:

[xelasnave]

I am in the same boat as Ving, the only scopes I have looked thru are my own but I would love to see what a large app shows under a dark sky.
alex

[ving]

my rump is far from barren and desolate :P
:lol:

[acropolite]

The largest I have looked through is the 14 inch Celestron at Mapleton (thanks Paul) on a fairly ordinary Queensland night. Got a good view of part of the moon with a large Panoptic (34mm I think), I still remember the feeling as though I was going to fall into the eyepiece.

[[1ponders]]

That's why I like to go out to Astroron's. On any given dark sky night there will always be a 16" there, but the chances of a 25" or a 30" are pretty good :D