 |
 |
 |
| LEFT: My vintage 1972 10" f/5 Cave Astrola reflector. The pier is a permanent installation on a hillside in my back yard. I have the original Cave pedestal which I still use for star parties and observing field trips, but the permanent pier is so nice to have...no repeated polar alignment, no vibrations. No longer in production, Cave telescopes are truly amazing instruments, made in a time when everything was built to last. From the heavy aluminum castings to the beefy roller bearings and 1.5" thick solid steel shafts, the Astrola mount is sturdy and precise. Cave's optics seem to have varied in quality in their later years, but the optics in my telescope are quite good. Despite the massive weight, the whole setup balances perfectly, and I've spent many enjoyable hours hunting faint, deep-space treasures with my Cave. |
| RIGHT: My homebuilt 8" f/6 reflector on the Astrola mount. |
| LEFT: My beloved 8" f/6 reflector on it's original alt-az mount. I built this telescope in 1984, and it's still my favorite whether it's in the alt-az mount, or riding the Astrola equatorial mount (above). The mount is made of scrap plywood, and instead of the usual Teflon bearings, I used ball bearings on both axes with a tensioning system on the altitude axis. Shortly after I built the scope, I replaced my home-ground mirrors with superb optics from Meade, which are still in the telescope today. |
 |
| Below: My new William Optics Megrez 90 Apochromatic refractor with a homemade finderscope.., Synta EQ5 mount, accompanied by my B&L Criterion 4000 SCT acting as a guidescope |
 |
| Below: My SkyWatcher 102mm (4" ) f/10 achro refractor. Inexpensive but nice planetary telescope. Pictured with the ubiquitous B&L 400 guidescope; phototaken during the August 2007 total lunar eclipse. |