Dave Stevick's Weird Telescopes Page

June 21, 1911
Nov. 15, 2004

In memory

A.L. Woods

Engineer
Craftsman
Friend

weird Telescopes

A big West Virginia welcome to my weird telescope page. Achieving the very best views of the night sky is what this page is about. Showcased here are a variety of solutions by individuals in search of the perfect image. These instruments all seem strange: the need to use mirrors while keeping them from shadowing each other gives these telescopes odd geometries. Come join the quest.

He appointed the moon for seasons:
the sun knoweth his going down.
Thou makest darkness and it is night:

Anderson-Newtonian
Carl Anderson's telescope resists easy classification. The primary is spherical but is too short to work as a Herschelian. Residuals of coma and astigmatism are removed by mechanically bending the primary using either of two schemes. A must see.

World's first binocular TCT
At long last, the world now has a working tilted-component binocular. This achievement, a dream for many of us, was pulled off by John Francis. John has information about this newly completed telescope on his web site.

Brunn Telescope
Austrian amateur, Guntram Lampert built this Brunn Telescope, the first tetra-schief named for its original designer. Click here for the story of how and why this telescope came to be.

Stevick-Paul Telescope
A.L. Woods and David Stevick with Al's pioneering 6" f/12 Stevick-Paul telescope. The light path painted on the side of the telescope quietly answers the most frequently asked question.

Wolter Multi-Schiefspiegler
Compact, fast, sleek. Breaks the f/10 barrier in a highly portable TCT. Published both in Germany (VDS-Journal, summer 2000), and in ATMJ #16. Dr. Heino Wolter's web site contains extensive details and plans.

Tetra Design
John Francis' daughter, Lesley, checks the view through her father's unique Tetra design. Compactness is achieved by folding the light path down the declination axis and back.

Herrig Telescope
Erwin Herrig of Germany has developed a novel, compact, fast design. This telescope can be made of two spherical mirrors.

Schiefspieglers
This 200mm catadioptric Schiefspiegler was built by Giovanni Ariot. More information on this and other Schiefs here.

Yolos
The late Albert Priselac of Uniontown Pennsylvania with his Yolo. More information on this and other Yolos here.

Tri-Schiefspieglers
Like a Phoenix from the ashes, this 300mm Tri-Schiefspiegler was resurrected from a flawed mirror set. More information on this and other Tri-Schiefs here.

Folded Stevick-Paul
Bob Novack folded the basic Stevick-Paul design into this compact configuration. Photos and details of this f/10 telescope can be found here.

Tetra-Schiefspieglers
Joseph Sylvan of the Astronomical Society of Las Cruces owns this finely crafted Tetra-Schiefspiegler. More information on Tetra-Schiefs here .

Unobstructed Newtonian
Jose Sasian designed this 6-inch unobstructed Newtonian reflector. More information here.

Doubly Amplified Mirror System
Arkansas amateur Jack Wolfe built this 6" prototype telescope expressly for the moon and planets. Large image scale was his objective. More information here.

Schupmann Medial

While not all-reflecting (the Schupmann has a singlet lens objective), this telescope is renowned for its perfect achromatism. Here are complete instructions for building one.

YES! Design programs for tilted-telescopes.

Weird Telescopes has been honored with the prestigious StarAward

Clif Ashcraft's solar bird cooker.

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This page was last modified Friday, 03-Dec-2004 00:00:00 EST . You are visitor number 46889 .

	Anderson-Newtonian Carl Anderson's telescope resists easy classification. The primary is spherical but is too short to work as a Herschelian. Residuals of coma and astigmatism are removed by mechanically bending the primary using either of two schemes. A must see.
	World's first binocular TCT At long last, the world now has a working tilted-component binocular. This achievement, a dream for many of us, was pulled off by John Francis. John has information about this newly completed telescope on his web site.
	Brunn Telescope Austrian amateur, Guntram Lampert built this Brunn Telescope, the first tetra-schief named for its original designer. Click here for the story of how and why this telescope came to be.
	Stevick-Paul Telescope A.L. Woods and David Stevick with Al's pioneering 6" f/12 Stevick-Paul telescope. The light path painted on the side of the telescope quietly answers the most frequently asked question.
	Wolter Multi-Schiefspiegler Compact, fast, sleek. Breaks the f/10 barrier in a highly portable TCT. Published both in Germany (VDS-Journal, summer 2000), and in ATMJ #16. Dr. Heino Wolter's web site contains extensive details and plans.
	Tetra Design John Francis' daughter, Lesley, checks the view through her father's unique Tetra design. Compactness is achieved by folding the light path down the declination axis and back.
	Herrig Telescope Erwin Herrig of Germany has developed a novel, compact, fast design. This telescope can be made of two spherical mirrors.
	Schiefspieglers This 200mm catadioptric Schiefspiegler was built by Giovanni Ariot. More information on this and other Schiefs here.
	Yolos The late Albert Priselac of Uniontown Pennsylvania with his Yolo. More information on this and other Yolos here.
	Tri-Schiefspieglers Like a Phoenix from the ashes, this 300mm Tri-Schiefspiegler was resurrected from a flawed mirror set. More information on this and other Tri-Schiefs here.
	Folded Stevick-Paul Bob Novack folded the basic Stevick-Paul design into this compact configuration. Photos and details of this f/10 telescope can be found here.
	Tetra-Schiefspieglers Joseph Sylvan of the Astronomical Society of Las Cruces owns this finely crafted Tetra-Schiefspiegler. More information on Tetra-Schiefs here .
	Unobstructed Newtonian Jose Sasian designed this 6-inch unobstructed Newtonian reflector. More information here.
	Doubly Amplified Mirror System Arkansas amateur Jack Wolfe built this 6" prototype telescope expressly for the moon and planets. Large image scale was his objective. More information here.
	Schupmann Medial While not all-reflecting (the Schupmann has a singlet lens objective), this telescope is renowned for its perfect achromatism. Here are complete instructions for building one.