Ode to a Questar

I’m the itinerant telescope owner, always wanting to try something new or different in search of the perfect scope (as if one really exists). It really comes down to intended use, circumstances and aesthetics.

I’ve owned almost every type/kind of telescope over my years in and out of the hobby and there is one that I keep getting drawn back to – the Questar 3.5 either in it’s Standard or Duplex variant.

As I was contemplating my hunt for the next Q, I thought I would reflect on why I insist on making this pilgrimage .(I’ve owned 6 of them, sold them all and regretted it after).

I have just turned 72. So as most of us in my age bracket have found out, this brings ‘some’ limitations as to how we do things. Considerations like weight, portability, ease of use, etc….. all have a negative impact on how we engage our hobby.

Pretty well every other scope I’ve owned requires that you use it for its intended purpose, which is generally to take it outside before dark, get set up, and then go out after dark and stay awake in the bugs/cold/lateness until you’ve had enough, and then cart it all back in again. And then your scope stands in the corner, looking forlorn, just waiting for you to haul it outside and view something again!

I’m tired of being guilted into plying my hobby…..

The thing about a Questar is that you can just fiddle with it even sitting in your office, not really using it, just admiring its design, its function and its aesthetic. The Questar makes as good a bauble as it does a telescope.

I never get tired of looking at them, and they don’t guilt me into making me use them, because if I want, I can inspect the roses in the garden for aphids, or the insulators on the power line in the distance, just as easily as I can take in some peeks at the moon. Most scopes can’t do that, at least, not with the same ease of portability and set-up. Take the Q outside, plunk it down and you’re set. And when you’re done, pick it up with one hand and carry it back inside. The only extra accessory you may need is a second eyepiece in your pocket. The finder, one eyepiece and the 2X Barlow are all on board, allowing you to switch from finder-view, to medium power or high power with the integrated Barlow switched in – all while sitting at the eyepiece.

You can use it plunked down on any surface in AZ mode. You can use the supplied equatorial legs to use it equatorially, or you can mount it to a wedge on a tripod for a more stable platform. And if your wife insists it be packed away, then it all fits neatly into its own case measuring approx. 9x9x16”. A complete observatory, as they say, in a box.

Optically, they are very good. You never have to worry if it’s bad seeing or maybe your optics aren’t up to par…

To people that own them, this is not news. They already know all this.

But here’s the thing. Questar has been in business since the early 1950’s. They’re winding down, and their products are becoming harder to get. Once they’re gone, there isn’t another scope that can take its place, or would want to. It’s a deviously intricate and expensive design.

So, I want to snag my last Questar before they’re extinct and leave it in my will to someone. (if you’ve got one, think twice before letting it go – otherwise, drop me a line…)