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PLANETMAN'S TELESCOPE PAGE

Welcome to my telescope page. Here are some of the telescopes that I have built over the last couple of years. In the last seven years, I have built six telescopes ranging in size from 6" to 17.5". Telescope making is very enjoyable and is one of my pastimes.

This scope is a 17.5" f/4.5 Dobsonian. I completed this scope mid-summer 1999. Vision Quest is one of my most favorite telescopes that I have built. Steve Swayze, from Portland, Oregon, refigured the primary mirror to textbook tolerences. This telescope gives an exceptional image. It is the largest in Western Kentucky. And no, you can not see the flag on the moon with it.

Ariel is, by all means, the prettiest telescope that I have ever built. Believe me, the scanned photo does not do it justice. It is a 12.5" f/6 Dobsonian. The primary mirror was made by Steve Swayze and the quality is perfect. This scope was finished in January 1999, but was sold in April 1999 at the Mid-South Stargaze at French Camp, Mississippi. A professor at Old Miss saw the scope and ended up buying it from me. But, the story doesn't stop there. It seems he had rather it sit in the living room of his restored pre-Civil War home under spot lights. He is a collector of "one-of-a-kind, hand-crafted pieces of art." Oh well, the money funded Vision Quest, so I wasn't too upset that it was sold.

Ruby is another 12.5" f/6. The mirror in this telescope is an excellent 1971 Coulter. This is a very user friendly and fun scope to use. It was completed in April 1998. This scope is now in Louisville, KY and is owned by a good friend and member of the Louisville Amateur Astronomers. Ruby is used at their Sidewalk Astronomy programs to introduce people to the night sky. The name "Ruby" was selected by the current owner to honor his late grandmother.