Televue Apollo 11 Commemorative Eye Piece

[Startrek]

Did anyone consider buying one of the Televue Apollo 11 commemorative eye pieces for an investment for the future
Only 300 made , I guess they were sold out in the first day , probably in the US
At $2000Aus they were ridiculously priced but hey only 300 in the world
I would have bought one for sure
Comments ?

[Slawomir]

It would be uber-cool to buy a pair for a bino-scope :thumbsup:

[gregbradley]

What is it, a repackaged Nagler for US$1245?

Greg.

[Startrek]

I was thinking more of an historical iconic collector’s item in 20 or 30 years time for my grandkids , rather than a technical comparison to other eye pieces
Although it does have a larger AFOV and more eye relief than the Nagler , so it would be an excellent eye piece just the same
Yes of course I can’t justify the cost but ........
If I had one, it would be in my 12” Goto dob on the next clear night for sure
Bit like an old car , a restored 1971 GTHO ford falcon are pushing close to $100k today and in 30 years time maybe $250k???

[casstony]

Astronomy gear is great fun, but I wouldn't think of it as an investment - more of a black hole financially :)

[GrahamL]

True Tony once past the event horizon money never comes back out !

[william123]

"There's a sucker born every minute." -- attributed to P. T. Barnum

[Don Pensack]

No, an entirely new design, 85°, long eye relief.
See the following from TeleVue (you can find pix on line):
While the Lunar landing of Apollo 11 inspired generations
of people in countless ways, a unique experience in
the development phase of the Apollo program inspired one
man on a journey which would eventually change amateur
astronomers’ views of the heavens. As an optical designer at
Farrand Optical Company, Tele Vue founder Al Nagler was
tasked to design an optical system for a simulator which the
Apollo astronauts would use to practice landing on the Moon.
When he finally stepped into the Lunar Excursion Module (LEM)
trainer to see how his optical system performed, the view out
of the craft’s iconic triangular window of the simulated Moon
below and stars above was breath-taking. Little did he realize
at the time, but that was the moment of inspiration that ultimately
resulted in the “Nagler” eyepiece. (See “The Eyepiece That
Changed Observing,” Astronomy, Dec. 2005.)
Tele Vue Apollo 11 Specifications
Development Team: Paul Dellechiaie, Al Nagler, David Nagler
F.L.: 11mm
A.F.o.V.: 85°
Eye Relief: 18mm
F.S. dia. (effective): 16.2mm
Coatings: Glass matched multi-coatings on all surfaces
Barrel dia.: 1.25” with 2” thread-on adapter
Filter Thd.: 1.25” and 2”
Length: 4.8”
Width: 2.13”
Weight (2”/1.25”): 21.9 oz. (1.37 lbs.) / 18.6-oz. (1.16 lbs.)
Total Production: 300
In recognition of the 50th anniversary of
the Apollo 11 Moon landing, Tele Vue is
proud to celebrate our founder’s contribution
to the greater effort that made the mission
possible and ultimately successful. The
special, limited edition commemorative Tele
Vue Apollo 11mm eyepiece pays tribute to
the simulator program that was invaluable to
astronaut training and to the direct influence
it had on the eyepieces we enjoy today.

[Startrek]

Don
Thanks for your comprehensive detailed history and background into the development of the Apollo 11 eye piece to mark a milestone in human space exploration and amateur astronomy
Well done !
I don’t think any of these eye pieces reached our shores , I’m surprised Televue only produced 300 , considering their total sales of eye pieces across the globe I would have thought at least 3000 might have been produced so at least countries around the world may have had some chance in securing one
But I suppose it is a commemorative eye piece with significant meaning
Thanks again

[Don Pensack]

TeleVue is a small company. I think they invested well over a quarter million dollars in this one eyepiece. I doubt they would have had the capital for 3000 of them.
They told me they learned a lot when designing and producing this one. I'm hoping we see some "trickle down" in future offerings. Fingers crossed......

[UniPol]

Seems Bintel did have 6, their ad is a little unclear, says 2 left available, but down below says sold out due to popular demand and their main ad says Backorder 2-3 weeks. Sent three emails to them but no reply? Price $2099! See link : https://www.bintel.com.au/product/tele-vue-apollo-11-eyepiece/?v=6cc98ba2045f

[dreamstation]

I've sent Bintel two separate emails over the last 6 months or so on an unrelated topic and neither got a reply. Not sure what's happening with their online side of things but not a good look.

"Have a question about this product? Ask an expert!"

Right.

[dreamstation]

According to the "pre-Christmas sale" email that I received from Bintel today they still have 2 of these eyepieces for sale. They may or may not have sold since then, I don't know.

I should rephrase my last post about not receiving emails from Bintel. I get their advertising ones but not a response to the questions I send.

[Startrek]

Thanks James
I’ll ring Bintel in the morning
Cheers

[N1]

You could get a ZAO for that and have enough change for the Docter 12.5.

[Startrek]

Ordered one today , arriving early to mid December
It will be a unique addition to my existing Televue collection
And yes my collection doesn’t include any Naglers

[SkyWatch]

It will be great to hear your first light report! I communicated with Bintel about these a few weeks back, but unfortunately the "finance department" wasn't impressed with the price... ;) (From memory the response was "NO WAY!")

Only 4 in Australia so should hold its value for you fairly well: but will you be game to use it in case it gets scratched?

All the best,

Dean

[Startrek]

Yes I was lucky to secure one as TV initially released 3 to Australia then after a second request another 3 were released
I will certainly be using this eye piece ( carefully) it’s not going to be in a trophy cabinet
Pending clear skies my first target during a 60% waxing moon will be the Apollo 11 landing site in the Sea of Tranquility for historical and personal reasons using my 12” Goto dob under Bortle 3 skies
Cheers

[sil]

Make sure you take observation notes with a Montegrappa Moon Landing Limited Edition Fountain Pen (https://www.montegrappa.com/en/collections/moonlandingle/50anniversariosbarcosullalunaleroll erargentoacrilico-1158.html?id_product=27870)

[Startrek]

I am extremely happy about purchasing this unique eye piece representing an important part of history. It is a high quality, well engineered optical instrument that will provide stunning views in any telescope ( not just a gimmick )
I certainly will respect other points of views on this eye piece

Maybe one day in the future when I’m long gone , my kids , grandkids and great grant kids will have something passed on that is unique , of some value and was a significant part of my later life to remember me by
Apologies for being sentimental......

[Startrek]

Picked up my Televue Apollo 11 Commemorative eye piece this morning from Bintel
Beautifully presented box with a commemorative medal stamped with a serial number , eye piece has serial number as well
Can’t wait to use it in my 12” Goto dob when we eventually get some clear skies along the east coast of NSW
Only 6 were issued to Australia (Bintel) from Televue, Bintel have one on display in their Sydney showroom , I have one and there are 4 others somewhere around the country
A very happy, lucky and proud owner of a unique astronomical eye piece
Cheers

[MortonH]

Rotate pics please

[Startrek]

Pics taken on iPhone and sent via iPhone , correct orientation when viewed in iPhone
When viewed on laptop or Desktop they are sideways
Sorry about that but I use my iPhone 99% of the time
Any other comment ?

[Rainmaker]

Congratulations on what is certain to be a nice thing to pass down to your kids.

[FireCat]

Very envious , congratulations

[Startrek]

Thanks to all who responded

[FlashDrive]

Here you go....

[Startrek]

Col
To kind mate
I didn’t think it was that important
I usually cross the T’s and dot the I’s
I must be getting lazy in my old age
Cheers

[MortonH]

Beautiful piece of memorabilia and a damn fine eyepiece.

[Startrek]

Just arrived back down at my weekender to clean up a bit after the fire devastation on the south coast
Looks like most of the coastal areas and hinterland along Southern , Central and mid north coast NSW will receive some welcome rain on Thursday through to Monday in the order of 10 to 20mm , not enough but NSW will take anything at the moment
Testing of my Apollo 11 eye piece will have to wait at least another week or so
Keep you posted

[Nightingale]

I ordered mine from Agena astro as it was out of stock when i checked the Bintel website.. and now their website says they have 1 eyepiece left.. annoying!.. my apollo 11 is stuck in melbourne customs... has been in customs for the past 11 days.. i bet they are calculating the duties to charge.. never really thought about duties till i started googling why a parcel might get held in customs.. any idea what the duties would be? Or if duties apply in this case at all? I was going through the customs webpage that says collector’s pieces are exempt? Will this apply here? And what happened to all the talk about Australia-USA free trade? Never had problems with orders from China.. Perhaps i should take my complaint to Mr.Trump!

[Startrek]

I never trust stock levels on suppliers websites , I always call or go to store and enquire. I rarely purchase from OS websites too , had to many security issues over the years
I guess I was lucky as Bintel had another 3 allocated at a later date , I bought one , someone else bought one and they kept one for the store on display
Don’t know much about duties, probably the most important thing is you finally receive your eye piece in good condition
Good luck and enjoy !

[Nightingale]

Yes lesson learnt.. i just hope they don’t open the package and smudge the lens

[ab1963]

This eyepiece is double the cost of the Docter 12.5mm and doubt very much it’s in the same league as cutting edge Zeiss technology that has gone into this eyepiece, They are not meant to sit in a box not being used and that has nothing to do with a green eyed monster called jealousy as I own eyepieces at the highest end of the game it just amazes me how people would pay over 2k for an 11mm eyepiece for its collectibility, Just my opinion so don’t get all hot under the collar it’s just how I see it when for a tad over that price I bought a Tak FC100DF,3035 FT R&P focuser,K-Aztec rings and other accessories it just doesn’t make sense.......

[Startrek]

I chose to buy this eye piece for many reasons, definitely not to expect a $2000 view
Some of the reasons are as follows ( not in order )

1/Historical ( 50 year anniversary of 1st lunar landing )
2/Al Nagler was involved with NASA and the lunar module simulator window optics, Televue founder and former president of the company, I have great respect and admiration for “Uncle Al”
3/ Limited edition ( only 300 made on the planet )
4/I grew up through the Apollo era and witnessed all the launches and landings on my parents black and white TV . I was a space kid
5/My Aunt in the US worked for a NASA contractor and would send me NASA and Apollo memorabilia during the late 60’s and early 70’s
6/ I can pass this commemorative eye piece down to my kids and grandkids in the future ( I have 4 kids and 3 grandkids with probably more to come ) something to remember me by and may be of some value in 30 or 40 years time who knows
7/ Its a beautiful optical instrument and beautifully presented

8/ The cost ( although outrageous for some ) didn’t concern me at my stage in life

Hope you understand some of my reasoning

I was lucky to secure it

Cheers

[Kal]

What a great looking eyepiece and packaging!


I'd stick it in a glass display cabinet but that's just me :D

[Peter Ward]

Buy them a Perth Mint Apollo 50th, 1 ounce gold coin instead.

[Lucinda]

One thing to be said for gold,
As far as a collectible goes, it does have runs on the board, historically.

[Startrek]

I didn’t specifically buy this eye piece as a financial investment for the future
It’s a unique, historical, quality eye piece and I’m going to use it to compliment my existing swag of current Televue eye pieces. If it’s worth something in the future when I’m long gone then my kids and grandkids may benefit in some way ( that makes me happy )
My Aunt who worked for a NASA contractor in LA during the Apollo Program sent me quite a bit of Apollo memorabilia when I was in senior primary and junior high school including an unmarked first day cover stamp of Apollo 8 “Earth Rise”.
The Apollo 50th anniversary 1ounce gold coin sounds inviting
Thanks for the advice

[Ukastronomer]

will it fall in value if we never went to the moon ;)

[Nightingale]

Has anyone already tested this eyepiece? So my order with agena astro is still stuck in customs.. and after a full on tanty with Agena, they have refunded in full (though i am still waiting for the funds to be debited formally).. So as far as onerousness, i can’t fault them.. but now that i have reversed my purchase, i need to know if this eyepiece is worth dying for, or was it a blessing in disguise that mine did not arrive?

[Don Pensack]

It has been cloudy here for 2 months, so I haven't done much of a nighttime test.
I plan to do so if it's clear this month.
There appear to be a couple eccentricities I'll be looking for.

[Startrek]

We’ve had bushfires for nearly 3 months with smoke filled skies and now we have monsoon type conditions ( +300mm of rain ) for the next 2 weeks
Hope to get back down to my weekender ( Bortle 3 skies ) late February or early March
Ive had my Apollo 11 eye piece for about 6 weeks now and still waiting patiently to trial it with a 50% waning or waxing moon to do some detail lunar landscape observations. First location , you guessed it Mare Tranquillitatis

[Ukastronomer]

At the price I have better things to spend the money on

[croweater]

Hi Martin, I'm waiting rather impatiently for your first light report on your Apollo eyepiece. I think it is a fantastic buy and good on you for pulling the trigger. Considering a common ethos that lots of people own is at least a grand I reckon the 11 is going to hold its value well. Who cares anyway as your not going to sell it and the 2000au it cost will fade into insignificance very quickly. Cheers Richard :)

[Startrek]

Richard
Thanks
As soon as get a chance to use it I will post a report
Martin

[sn1987a]

I don't drink or smoke. I take that money and buy whatever eyepiece or scope I want :P

[Startrek]

Barry
Thanks for your comments
Martin

[m11]

Just want to say congratulations on the purchase of the Televue Apollo 11 eyepiece. :thumbsup:

Main thing is you get enjoyment out of it as life is too short to have regrets and worries, we get enough this from work and family. :rofl:

All the best,

M11

[sn1987a]

I might get one more for the binodob :D

[Startrek]

Mel
Thanks for the positive feedback , some folk not many, had a bit of a joke about this eye piece and that’s fine , but it is a high quality optical instrument designed and manufactured by an experienced professional company and produced to commemorate one of humankind’s most incredible scientific and technological achievements of the 20th century ( and I was privileged to see the landing as a kid in senior primary school on a tiny black and white TV set )

Barry
Sorry mate there’s no more being made , Australia (Bintel) was lucky enough to secure six ( and one of those six is in their eye piece display cabinet ) I was at Bintel this morning buying another mount and saw it there.
If your a game person , send yours to China and get a copy made up. I wonder how it would look like or perform when it came back ? Hmm.......... maybe not a good idea !!

[Nightingale]

Barry, test the eyepiece and let us know what you think of it in comparison with your other ones...
BTW, i think you have exfoliative dermatitis of the hand.. i see the skin pealing off it... could be an allergy to Televue eyepieces (joke)

[sn1987a]

As a self employed furniture removalist the old hands take a bit of a caning. It's a paid daily workout though that pays dividends too as I get older :lol:
I have achieved a kind of virtuous circle where my source of income complements my hobby.

Only got the eyepiece the other day and the weather gods are fickle, will try eventually.:sadeyes:

[ab1963]

Hi Martin
I hope my comments on the eyepiece has not made you think I was having a laugh at your expense as this is not the case because what you do with your hard earned is nothing to do with me my comments were only about eyepieces that you could have procured at a lot less that are noted world beaters the Docter 12.5 and 12.5 Nikon Nav Hw if you wanted to step into 100 deg territory at very close to that fl the thing that has annoyed me about TeleVue is to limit the availability and charge an arm and a leg for the privilege to own one especially when the 2 Sx Ethos eyepieces are excellent lunar viewing eyepieces and do what they should give you a feeling that you could nearly step onto it, Before all you people that went out and spent a horrendous amount of coin on this ep this is just my opinion and have the right to voice it..

[Startrek]

Andrew
No problem at all with your comments, and yes Televue in general cost an arm and a leg
In the US they are half the price of what us poor buggers down under have to shell out
The joys of being on the ass end of the planet in regard to transportation and import costs etc..
My journey nearly 4 years ago was starting with cheap Chinese Plössl eye pieces and then a quantum leap to Televue, couldn’t get away from them as the views were incredible
I’ve stuck with Televue ever since
Cheers

[AstroJunk]

Congratulations to all of the owners in this thread!

What a lovely and historic moment. Visual astronomy is often a solitary place that we enjoy but you will be sharing it, at least in spirit, with the greats of space exploration whether you use it in the field or just enjoy it as part of your collection, never to see the sky.

Pure art :thumbsup:

(If you do use it - first light HAS to be Mare Tranquillitatis)

[m11]

Hey Martin,

Enjoy that exclusive eyepiece knowing that you will get enjoyment out of it. :thumbsup:

I do love Televue eyepieces as well, like an addiction. :P

Would have been an amazing period to live through. :D

[Startrek]

Jonathan
Thanks for your kind comments
If you look back through the thread , I did mention the first location I would like to use this eye piece ( and yes you guessed it )
Cheers

Mel
Thanks
The Apollo program was an incredible and exciting period of time for young and old to live through. Cant wait for the next phase of exploration “Back to the Moon” and “On to Mars” over the next 10 to 15 years

[m11]

Hopefully as you mentioned we get a buzz going with back to the moon and Mars :thumbsup:

Might create some more amatuer astronomers and new friends to view with - inspire a new generation. :P

[Don Pensack]

Tsk, tsk.

[Nightingale]

Looks like everyone's gone silent on this one? has anyone used theirs yet? comparison views?

[Startrek]

No reviews of my Apollo 11 eye piece yet as I haven’t been down to my weekender in over a month due to the recent loss of two family members
My intention is to first use the eye piece to view the moon at waxing 1st quarter or waning last quarter and target on Mare Tranquillitatus and the Apollo 11 landing site near West crater
Hopefully over the next few months I’ll get my opportunity
Timing and patience !!
PA: I no longer do visual observations from my Bortle 8 Sydney suburban location ( only imaging ) My 12” Goto dob is stored at my weekender under Bortle 3 skies
Cheers

[Don Pensack]

See this thread:
https://www.cloudynights.com/topic/687544-televue-apollo-11-reviews-here/?hl=+apollo%20+11
and see my posts #16 and #121