Uncle Rod's Astro Blog

Here we are, muchachos, we have walked through that door into summer. What does that mean for your aged correspondent at Chaos Manor South? Rain, rain, and more rain. Thunderstorms. The possibility of hurricanes in the Gulf (though with an El Niño coming, that may not be as likely this year). In other words, just about no observing. Astronomy weather apps like Scope Nights are predicting “not so hot” or “downright terrible” night after night.

So, we’ll hit a rest stop on the Messier Road this month. I felt like it was time for a break, anyway. Much as I love those deep sky objects, the same thing every month, even though I try not to make the Messier Project articles rote recitations, gets old. I’m not going to be able to make any new observations or images for a while, anyhow, it appears.

The genesis of this article came when I was hunting for something (who knows what?) in the copious files here at Chaos Manor South. I came across an old issue of Sky and Telescope, one of the first I appeared in (I had been writing for S&T’s sister magazine, Night Sky). For want of much else to do on a warm and muggy Possum Swamp afternoon, I sat down with the magazine and began idly paging through the fat December 2004 issue.

What was my impression? “LOOK AT ALL THE ADS!” While The Internet was an ever greater tool for astronomy dealers in 2004, most still believed in print advertising. Then I noticed something else. How many of the manufacturers and dealers who appeared in the issue are gone. Sure, astro companies come and go and always have. Onetime giants (in a small amateur astronomy way) like Unitron and Cave and Criterion came and went and left not a rack behind.

Despite that, it’s become apparent to me that some kind of an amateur astronomy golden age (of equipment, at least), one that stretched from the 1980s to the first decade of this strange new century, has passed. These are some of the outfits that inhabited that golden age. Some I loved and bought from, some I didn’t, but all were in their way unforgettable...

Questar

The little company with that memorable address, New Hope Pennsylvania, was, like many telescope manufacturers, the product of one man’s, Lawrence Braymer’s, dreams. His dream was to make Gregory-type Maksutovs as well as they could be made. So it was that the Questars came into the world. There was a 7-inch and even a 12-inch (very occasionally), but the 3.5-inch was always the most popular, if for no other reason than that while it was expensive, the larger apertures were insanely so.

How was/are the 3.5’s optics—which were never made by Questar? Usually, exquisite. Cave made the mirrors and correctors in the early years, but for most of Questar’s existence they were done and done well by J.R. Cumberland. It wasn’t all gravy, though. The telescope’s relatively simple design didn’t age well—for some. The fork limits access to the southern celestial hemisphere. Also, well into the age of goto and computers, there weren’t really any electronics in the Questars, only RA clock drives, which meant you had to polar align the Q3.5 for astronomical use. There wasn't even a declination drive (later there were upgrades available, including digital setting circles and dec motors).

What happened to Questar (who recently ceased operations and let longtime staff go with no notice)? Various and sundry things. The price was always a problem. Both in that it was high, and that there is a practical limit to what you can charge for a 3.5 inch telescope. Questar passed through several hands (Braymer died in 1965) and went into bankruptcy once, but kept on trucking, if in reduced prominence compared to the golden years of the 50s - 70s. Also, while for many the 3.5 was the ultimate classic, for some it just looked old. The final nail? Cumberland closed in 2024, and for the last two years Questar has focused on servicing existing instruments.

Yes, the optics in the faux Questar ETX 90 weren't bad, but they were not in the same league as those in a real Questar. Worse, Meade’s build-quality was light years—parsecs—behind that of Questar. The company will be remembered as the people who made a little telescope loved by those who owned it and lusted after by those who didn’t. If you want more information on the big Q, get yourself a free copy of my Used CAT Guide.

Meade

The whole sad story is known to most of y’all—all-y’all, I suspect. However, if you’d like to read the story of the  demise of the (onetime) biggest telescope company in the world, read this AstroBlog entry. I still cannot believe Meade is gone. It still seems impossible. I did have a love-hate relationship with the company; I don’t believe any Meade scope I bought was perfect, and some were quite literally projects, but I loved them all. RIP Meade, 1972 – 2024.

Coronado

David Lunt’s Coronado Telescopes brought H-alpha solar observing to the masses. Well, masses of amateur astronomers (and quite a few radio amateurs), anyway. His breakthrough was the PST, the Personal Solar Telescope, which initially sold for $500. Its images were not competitive with H-alpha rigs costing thousands of dollars, but they were still very good indeed.

So, what happened? Meade is what happened. In 2004, Lunt sold his company to Meade to (in part) give Coronado the resources to keep up with the demand for their solar scopes. All seemed rosy for a while, Coronado remaining in its Arizona location. Then, following Lunt’s death in 2005, the changes began. In 2006, Meade released the following, which coincided with the beginning of financial problems that would lead to its slow decline:

"The Company also reported the planned closure and consolidation of its Coronado(R) Instruments manufacturing and distribution facility in Tucson, Arizona, which will result in an additional estimated decrease of $800,000 in annualized operating costs. This consolidation will eliminate 16 employees by August 31, 2006. All Coronado operations are being consolidated into the Company's Irvine facility, with no associated increase in SG&A expense expected for that facility. "

Nevertheless, the Coronado “division” at Meade continued to produce decent telescopes—if ones with more QA problems than were normal with the original Coronados, I have been told. The end came when Meade fell. What will I remember them for? One of the first looks I had through a hydrogen alpha instrument. 

Orion

By “Orion,” I mean the U.S. Orion, “Telescope and Binocular Center,” who at the end was the owner of Meade (!). When the company began, it made the items it sold. In fact, Tim Gieseler founded the company in 1975 specifically to market his drive correctors. From there, he went on to be a dealer of a wide array of gear, including Meade, Celestron, TeleVue, and Vixen. As the years rolled on, however, and especially after Gieseler sold Orion, they began to rely on imported products. Specifically, products made by Chinese optical giant Synta.

Why did Orion fail? As far as I know, no insider has yet come forth with details, but it’s not hard to figure out. Orion’s sales had been declining for years, including during the pandemic when other astro-sellers did very well. Why? Part of it was the increasing emphasis on Synta to the exclusion of much else. With the coming of SkyWatcher (Synta) to the USA, people found they could buy, for example, a Synta EQ-6 mount from them for less money than they could from Orion.

At the end, there was not much reason to buy from Orion. Their legendary customer service had evaporated. What will I miss? Those wonderful old catalogs that seemed to come every week. More about the fall or Orion is at the link above. Anyhow, they went down at the same time as what was left of Meade, 2024.

University Optics

Most astro-companies make and/or sell a wide variety of astronomy gear. So it was with University Optics. This Ann-Arbor, Michigan firm sold everything from mirror grinding kits to eyepieces and everything in-between. But it was eyepieces that they were famous for. Relatively inexpensive oculars that were high in quality. Their Orthoscopics and Königs were particularly well-regarded and University’s eyepieces remained popular even with the advent of wide and ultra-wide oculars.

What took them down? Time. Jan W. Seyfried started the company in 1960 and kept it going till his death in 2014. University Optics continued in business for three more years before closing. I haven’t thought about them in a while, but I believe in later years Sayfried's son was helping him with the business, carried it on after his father passed, and then—for whatever reason—decided it was time to pull the plug. What do I miss? Those eyepieces, of course.

Parks Optical

Throw that (the scope I mean, of course) into the back seat of your Corolla!

Parks was always a bit of a puzzle. Why did they carry on selling heavy and expensive Newtonian telescopes year after year when few wanted them anymore? Parks was founded in 1952 by Dr. Maurice Sweiss. He was not interested in selling inexpensive telescopes like Criterion and Edmund, aiming to be a cut above the hoi polloi. How were Parks Newts? I don’t know. I have never encountered one—not one. I do have one of the their 6-inch f/8 primaries, which is pretty good, though not perfect.

Why did they fail? They didn’t so much fail as slowly wither away. Parks still focused on Newtonians and Cassegrains through the 1990s, a time when most amateurs wanted SCTs and Dobsonians. Also, there were some missteps. In the early 90s, they thought they had a breakthrough innovation, telescopes that could be switched between being slow classical Cassegrains and fast Newtonians, the Parks H.I.T. telescopes, which would be available in 10, 12.5, and 16-inch apertures.

People who hadn’t paid attention to Parks in years took notice and there was much discussion about the H.I.T. on the Fidonet astronomy board. Unfortunately, optical quality was reputed to be poor. I had a friend who was planning to buy the 10-inch, thinking it would be perfect for him (despite my warnings about what it would be like hauling that huge mount to the club dark site). Luckily for him, Parks struggled to manufacture the telescopes, couldn’t quote him a delivery date, and he bought a Meade LX-200 SCT instead. By the turn of the century, the company was even less active, relying on their eyeglass/optometry sideline. What do I remember Parks for? Running ads for huge Newtonians year after year—an interesting throwback, at least.

Scope City

Scope City was the dealer arm of Parks, and was based in Simi Valley, California like Parks, but had retail stores in Las Vegas and San Francisco as well.  I bought from them on occasion when they had something I couldn’t find at Pocono Mountain or Astronomics, my goto dealers. Scope City was OK. Their prices were average and so was their customer service. They were fine but didn’t distinguish themselves in any way. 

What killed them? I suspect competition with that other big California astronomy dealer with brick-and-mortar stores, Orion, didn’t help. I’d also guess the decline of Parks took them with it, with Scope City disappearing at about the same time as Parks. What do I remember about them? Sadly, a scam “Scope City” website that has appeared periodically over the years.

Pocono Mountain Optics

The only pic I have of the Pocono bunch (TSP '97). They are set up along the far wall.

Why mention Pocono? They’ve been gone these twenty-five years. Because when they had their house in order, they were one of the best astronomy dealers I’ve ever bought from. They had a big presence at the Texas Star Party and smaller events as well. What spoiled Glen Jacobs’ party? I remember it being said that opening a second store, “Pocono Mountain West,” had something to do with it. And that personal problems played a part as well. Anyway, I used the Desert Storm cover I got from them to project my truss tube Dob, Old Betsy, for well over a decade. What’s memorable about them? Great product selection, great service.

Lumicon

This is another one I can’t believe is gone. Most remember Lumicon for their filters, but they sold a lot more stuff—off axis guiders, film hypersensitizing chambers, even digital setting circles. The creation of Dr. Jack Marling, an astrophysics PhD, the company was one of the big players in amateur astronomy from its founding in the late 70s, till it went out of business for all practical purposes in the late 1990s. You can still buy Lumicon filters, but they have nothing to do with the original Lumicon.

What happened? By the early 1990s, the company encountered financial difficulties and Marling had to sell it. The person he sold it to was Maurice Sweiss, the  owner/founder of Parks Optical. He thought the acquisition would allow him to broaden his product line, especially with the highly regarded Lumicon light pollution reduction filters.

That worked well at first…but… as the 1990s ended, there were other problems afflicting Parks in addition to those above. Like their inability to adjust to Internet marketing, and a general decline in the service they provided their customers. Not long after the turn of the century, I tried to order a set of "Lumicon" digital setting circles from them, but they weren’t interested in/couldn’t actually provide them to me. Shortly thereafter the company was gone. What will I remember about ‘em? Those groundbreaking filters.

Adirondack Video Astronomy

If there were ever a small astronomy company that’s memorable (for me), it’s Adirondack Video Astronomy. You can read the story of my introduction to deep sky video imaging here but suffice to say I was all about astro-video for years. I used the company’s Stellacam II deep sky video camera for about half of The Herschel Project (until I got a Mallincam Xtreme). When skies or telescope wouldn’t allow me to see the fuzzy I was after visually, onto the C8 when the Stellacam. Herschels were nothing; it would show PGC galaxies in 10 second exposures.

The Stellacam was the brainchild of John Cordiale and was sold by Adirondack Video Astronomy of Glen Falls, New York. If memory serves, Cordiale didn’t own the business; that was a Jim Barot. While they sold an array of products not  unlike those sold by any other astro-dealer, the Stellacams are what made them the success they were in the early 2000s.

What killed “AVA”? A failure to keep up. Mallincam quickly left Adirondack in the dust. They had what we astrovideographers wanted, a cooled color deep sky video camera,  which AVA struggled to produce. Also, AVA never promoted their cameras as much as they could have and didn’t engage with the astronomy community to the extent they should have. They were another fixture in amateur astronomy that just faded away. They promised a color camera for a couple of years, but that never happened. I believe AVA still exists as a video equipment/production company, but there are no more Stellacams. What do I remember about them? ALL THE FAINT FUZZIES in near real-time.

My how your old Uncle does run on! I suppose that is enough for now. If I get enough huzzahs, I may do a part two of late greats.

Next Time:  I plan to try to bag My Yearly M13 (image) ASAP, and I guess that’s a good time to do the other Hercules M for the Messier Project, too.