Lunartic shouldn't have bought my 12" Orion from me....

Dave_Lillis wrote:

oh my!, another target to aim for, another scope added to my "what I'll get if I win the lottery".
you'd need to parachute from a low passing plane to reach the eyepiece, and did you see the sun warning :laugh: :laugh:

Don't point a Monster Dob at the sun! Just pointing this at the sun can instantly damage eyepieces and cause irreversible eye damage and burns. Use extreme caution leaving it uncovered during daylight. Concentrated sunlight from this much aperture can damage the telescope or set its surroundings on fire!

Any muppet who points this thing at the sun deserves to be incinerated !

A 50" mirror is about 1.25 square metres. Take the solar flux at about 1kW/m2 and that gives about 1.25 kW focused into a spot the size of a pin head. That will probably cut through metal never mind a retina. Sorry, too much time on my hands at the moment:silly:
Does this scope come with its own cherry picker??:laugh:

I mean.... dear god!!.... look at the size of this thing !
I'm almost speachless!!!:ohmy: :ohmy:



You'd be counting off h-alpha regions in the whirlpool galaxy with this thing !

So - stick a thermocouple in place of the the eyepeice - call the whole contraption a "solar collector" - and apply for a government grant.

You get hot baths in the daytime and great views at night and at a subsidised price...

But seriously - I can't see how that scope can be manageable - regardless of price. There has to be an upper practicable limit which is less than 50". Frequent collimation, difficulty in pointing, getting to the eyepiece (ensuring one is wearing hard hat and have scaffolding). Is this just a marketing ploy or will someone actually get value out of that?

Mark

Obviously someone in parts of the US or other cloudless parts of the world would get great value out of it. There are already scopes in this size range in regular use. Jim Lowry's 48" in Arizona and Tom Clarks 42" at Chiefland Astronomy village in the US. The need for a permanent observatory goes without saying. Tom Clarke has a great Ladder for his.

But even over on this side of the atlantic. Someone that can afford to spend 150 grand on a scope probably already has a Villa in the Canaries. Build an observatory in the grounds and you are sorted.

I don't think Orion think this endeavour is ever going to be mass market. I doubt they are making more than a pitance. This is purely for promotion of the Orion Brand. Much like you manufacturer of run if the mill Honda motor cars invests in formula one racing to promote the brand.

You'll be suprised by the name of the guy building these for Orion. Its Normand Fullum, he of the beautiful carved wooden work of art scopes. You know the scopes with the Alt bearings in the shape of the man on the moon He is also an expert mirror maker. He is building the structures and and the mirrors. They will be kitted out with top quality gear. Moonlite focusers, servocat and argo navis, graphite collapsible trusses. Cellular mirror etc.

There'd nearly want to be a 'driving' test for it!

Actually.
There would be serious need for a 'Chair'
built into this!