One telescope for a year.

Ok, you get one telescope of your choice for a whole year. What would that telescope be? A couple of rules:

1. The telescope can only be setup by one person, no help from others. So I don't want to see anybody list a 10" refractor or 40" dob(etc.). It has to be within reason.

2. You can also pick a mount for the scope(GOTO and DSC if you like).

3. No other options can be listed. So in other words no 25" dob with a 6" AP finderscope.

4. If you already own the scope you list that is fine. Consider yourself lucky.

5. It has to be a telescope, so no big Fujinon binoculars(etc.) can be picked.

6. I forgot to mention this rule. This is the only telescope you can use for the entire year. You will not have access to any other scopes.

I will start. My choice is an 18" Obsession with the ServoCat GOTO and Argo Navis DSC. It's still a portable scope, fairly easy to setup, it doesn't require a ladder, it's much smaller than the 20" Obsession, it has full GOTO capabilities, and it gathers a ton of light.

Really this is about your ideal/dream scope, or which scope you hope to obtain sometime in the future.

14.5" Starmaster with Skytracker goto/tracking and Argo Navis. The perfect balance of aperture and portability, IMHO and the added bonus of Zambuto mirror. Plus, I have one on the way.
I had an 18" which met the definition of "portable", but it aggravated my already ailing back.

Doug
Midway, FL

You mean rent-free, right? Well, this one is easy Chris. Indubitably, the AP130 EDFS f/6 ;-).

Ron B[ee]

I suppose that my request would seem almost pedestrian compared to some, but I'd really like to try a Mag1 12.5" Portaball for a year.

I was origanally thinking 16" Starmaster, but I already know that I really covet one of those. What I don't know about is the Portaball. That looks like it really might be fun for all around use. It's not the biggest or the badest, but that's part of it's allure for me.

So, for my year's trial, I'd like the 12.5" Mag1 Portaball with Zambuto optics. I don't need the tracking drive or anything fancy, but definitely do need the complete electrical dew mgmt system with all related batteries, controls, doohickies and sundry paraphenalia. If it comes with a hurricane cover option and a snorkel that'd be fine too. The standard rigel quickfinder is good enough for me.

So since that's such a simple request, um... when can I expect it to show up? ;-) Send it to me before MASP in Oct. and I'll get to compare it to lots of other cool toys.

Mike Swaim

OK, well how about the Keck II (10 meter) telescope on top of Mona Kea in Hawaii? I believe this would still follow all of your rules ...

1. Everything is computer controlled, so a one person operation is no problem. I would need to get the big "user manual" several months in advance though. And maybe a demo before my year actually starts.

2. I believe I'd keep the current Alt/Az mount. It probably has better GOTO accuracy than my LXD55.

3. With a 10 meter main mirror, are any "options" really necessary. Well maybe a Mr. Coffee ...

4. My name is not Gates, Buffett or Walton, so the chances of "owning" this scope are as remote as M31.

5. I believe this still qualifies as a "scope".

6. Access to a 10 meter scope during the night and Hawaii beaches during the day ... yes, I think I could do this for a year. This has got to be the definition of paradise in a dictionary somewhere ...

Astro-Physics 10" f/14.6 Maksutov-Cassegrain on a Software Bisque Paramount ME mount sitting on a Pier-Tech Tri-Pier portable/permanent pier - as long as we're dreamin'. Do we get a 'used' price after the year?

Zeiss APQ150 and AP900 GTO mount.

Paul