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Showing posts from November, 2014

Thinking of a telescope rebuild

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20 years ago, I built Big Blue : It's been a great telescope.  But it is, well, big.  About 120  145 pounds, hard to take apart, hard to transport.  I've been reading up on alternative designs, and I came across this one by legendary Mel Bartels.  Here is my take on it.  A very light scope, easy to disassemble, and easier to transport.  First, the assembled scope: It will easily disassemble and fold up for transport: And the plywood bits will all fit on a single standard 4x8 sheet: I'm not sure when I'll get around to building it, but it is fun to think about. Edit (Nov 10 2014): I started disassembly, and found that the scope is actually 20% heavier than I realized (and includes 25 pounds of counterweights).  From initial estimates, the new design will weigh: Upper cage: 6 pounds (was 11 pounds) Mirror box: 46 pounds (was 53 pounds) Rocker box: 30 pounds (was 41 pounds) Counterweights: 8 pounds (was 25 pounds) Overall, a 35% weight d