24 Jan
2012
24 Jan
'12
6:52 a.m.
The end of an era. http://www.skyandtelescope.com/news/home/NormanEdmundObit-137951448.html The first "serious" telescope I owned was an Edmund 4.25" f/11 Newtonian reflector on their 5/8" shaft German equatorial mount. The secondary mirror was an aluminized right-angle prism, using the hypoteneuse as a first-surface mirror. I had the 28mm Plossl eyepiece (still have it), a 1/2" Ramsden, 1/4" Ramsden, and sink-trap extension-style Barlow. With that rig I marvelled at the planets, the sun (using projection), double stars, and found every Messier object as well as dozens of NGC's, from various sites including my parents back yard near the University of Utah. What a wonderful scope for a kid to dive headfirst into astronomy with.