Your first scope ever?

What was your first scope that you ever owned?

Mine was a 40x40mm refractor, with 10" tripod legs!

I would sit it on top of a 5ft ladder to look thru it, i was 13 at the time, in 1976.

Chas P.

Mine was a Jason 60mm, 700mm f.l.(280X) I got it for X-mas in 1971, I believe. It cost about $47.00. It was one of those "department store" telescopes that you hear people berating so often. I've always thought that someone really interested in astronomy will overcome the limitations of these types of scopes. DR

My first scope was a C8 deluxe. It was and is a very good scope.

My Dad's binoculars and a pretty good 20x nautical.

Finding things is great for a kid. Star jumping. Learning to read a map with no roads. Excuse to stay up late !!

More recently got back in fixing up an 8" Meade on a GEM. Everything was busted... so it was a lot of fun.

My first scope was some sort of 60mm F15 refractor that I purchased at a garage sale for $10. It was mounted on one of those rickety yoke mounts and was missing various parts but it did include a couple of eyepieces, no plastic at least. I hose it off as best I could and did some star gazing.

Early one morning while camping in Arizona I happened up the Orion nebula and caught a faint hint of nebulosity.

That was enough and I was hooked for good....

The scope used to reside on the bedroom balcony, there was enough room there to get some views in. One day I came home from work and the neighbors ladder was leaned against the balcony and the telescope was gone.

I have had other scope since then...

jon

An 8 x 50 "elbow" telescope loaned from the local astronomy club. The first one I owned was a 50mm refractor on a table-top tripod. Cost around $20 from memory. This was back in 1967. got some very good views of comets Tago-Sato-Kosaka and Bennett with it. Eventually was demoted to a guidescope when I purcahsed a 5" refractor.

Maurice

My first....a homemade 6" F/8 newtonian. Ground the mirror myself. I mounted the mirror on a homemade mirror cell made from pine. Mounted in 8" sonotube. I had a $.99 slide focuser, I assembled my own 25mm Kellner, 10mm and 6mm Ramsden eyepieces and 2x barlow. Took an old binocular objective and some pvc tubing and rolled a 25mm eyepiece for the finder. I even built a german equatorial mount (with the help of a teacher friend) out of old pipe and bearings from a junked Kenmore washing machine. I have everything except a clock drive and the telescope cost me $29.50 total!! Of course the views were fabulous (actually the mirror was very good). That was 1965 when I was a high school freshman. I sold it just before I went to the University in 1971. Does that bring back memories!!

Paul

Skilcraft 40mm f/15 Newtonian.

I think I had the same scope Charles in 1973 along with a 30X30 handheld scope I still have today.

3" Newtonian - Sears, I think. Christmas present at about 10 years old. Cardboard tube, 0.965" EP, funkiest alt-az mount ever developed.

Started my lifelong interest in astronomy and was the forerunner to my current 12.5" StarMaster and AP Traveler. I think I'm at the end game!

John