I looked through my first scope when I was 8 years old. I had just returned from a field trip with my elementary school to Cranbrook Institute of Arts. We went to their planetarium. It was my first experience looking at stars, even though they weren't the real deal. I told my dad all about the trip and begged him to buy me a telescope. He did! I got a Tasco telescope with 3 eyepieces. I was in heaven. Little did I know that the 450X power that was promised wouldn't live up to it's side of the deal but I didn't care and didn't know the difference. I soon learned that monster powers were less important than the size of the objective. Light gathering power rules when it comes to observing the stars. The scope pretty much pooped out when I attempted to view objects over 150 power. Bummer! It took years of tinkering with different types of scopes and hundreds if not thousands of nights viewing the stars before I landed my 20" Obsession. There is a world of difference between the department store refracting telescope, which probably has somewhere around 2 to 3" of aperture and a 20" reflecting telescope. Once you view through this scope you'll want one for yourself. All I want now is a 25" mirror and I'll be satisfied. No, a 30" would do. Hmm? maybe a 40". It's hard to say. Once you get aperture fever bug, it's all over!
If you are serious about viewing the heavens in all their glory, come out for a free night of viewing or sign up and become a member. Then you'll have to opportunity to view through one of Michigan's largest telescopes whenever you want!!
Click here to see the only scope better than an Obsession :)
This is the light box that houses the 20" mirror. The wood work is absolutely beautiful. Dave Kreig does an excellent job building the best reflecting amateur telescopes in the world.
The mirror is protected by a removable wooden cover. Without this cover the mirror could be damaged by falling objects during set-up. There is also an onboard computer that allows observers to pick objects to view from a database. The computer helps guide viewers to the object. It's fantastic!
Here is a picture of the mirror as it sits in the mirror box. The wooden cover is removed only after the telescope is fully assembled.
This the spider attachment which houses the secondary mirror. The eyepiece shown is a 40 mm wide angle lens. It's a wonderful piece for viewing large areas of the sky. You'll also notice the computer and the telrad on the left. The telrad allows users to find objects in the sky by projecting a bulls-eye image on the part of the sky of interest. Once the object is centered in the bulls-eye, it's also centered in the eyepiece. Wow!
Here is the fully assembled, front-view of the 20", f5, Obsession Reflector without the light shroud. All members of the "Sirius Stargazers Club" get full access to the telescope during viewing sessions.
The instrument is over 8' tall when fully upright. When viewing objects overhead we use a ladder! I wanted to throw in a human to give you an idea of just how huge this scope really is. This is one of the viewing areas that we observe in. Lot's of sky with some light pollution.
One of the members of the "Sirius Stargazers Club". Whitney is the activities coordinator for the club. Whitney thinks that you should join up today!!