The Antique Telescope Renderings
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Aerial view to the north-east
These renderings are of a 3-D model of my 1929 Alvan Clark & Sons Corporation refracting telescope with the original model number 6 german equatorial head and original permanent pier. These renderings were generated using the Autodesk ® Revit ® Architecture software.
At the Griffith Observatory 1 of 3
This photograph of the telescope modeled above but mounted upon a tripod was taken on the west side of the lawn in front of the Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles, California during a Public Star Party hosted by the Los Angeles Astronomical Society (LAAS). Information on the LAAS can be found on their web site: http://www.laas.org
It is not uncommon for hundreds of individuals to look through the telescopes during a typical Public Star Party evening at the Griffith Observatory.
The original cast iron permanent pier is far too heavy and bulky to be easily transported to these events so the tripod is put into service for use in the field.
At the Griffith Observatory 2 of 3
This photograph of the telescope on a tripod and myself on the lawn in front of the Griffith Observatory was taken during another Public Star Party hosted by the Los Angeles Astronomical Society (LAAS). The telescope was pointing at the sun (with appropriate filters) and set up on the west side of the lawn in anticipation of the sun going down and the stars and planets being visible in the night sky.
At the Griffith Observatory 3 of 3
This photograph of the telescope and myself at the eyepiece was taken on the lawn in front of the Griffith Observatory during the June 2015 Public Star Party hosted by the Los Angeles Astronomical Society (LAAS). The telescope is pointing at the Moon and set up on the west side of the lawn. What looks like a bright star to the upper right of the Moon is Jupiter and what appears to be an even brighter star to the lower right of Jupiter is Venus. This photo was taken by David Pinsky.
At the Riverside Telescope Makers Conference
The telescope won an award for "Excellent Restoration Work" at the 1987 Riverside Telescope Makers Conference (RTMC). After the award was presented, RTMC created a new judging classification for "Best Restoration". This is the only time the original heavy cast iron permanent pier was transported to an event.
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At the 2012 Transit of Venus event at the Mount Wilson Observatory
Select the image to link to a web page of photographs of my telescope and others during the 2012 Transit of Venus event from the historic Mount Wilson Observatory in the mountains above Los Angeles, California.
Antique Telescope Renderings overview
Don't let anyone tell you you can't model objects other than buildings with Revit ®. The Revit ® family rendered on these pages represents a 1929 four-inch diameter refracting telescope and mounting by Alvan Clark & Sons Corporation (arguably the best telescope maker of the late 19th century). The telescope features mostly brass and cast iron components with the original Alvan Clark german equatorial number six mounting and original cast iron permanent pier. The Right Ascension and Declination hand control rods with universal joints were recreated. A modern 1.25" diagional mirror assembly and eyepiece are modeled. The original mahogany storage case for the optical tube assembly and a tripod for field use may eventually be modeled as well.
Information on the Alvan Clark & Sons Corporation and this telescope in particular can be found in the book "Alvan Clark & Sons, Artists in Optics" by Deborah Jean Warner and Robert Ariail. Additional information on this telescope can be found in the book by searching the index for "Ashelford". An article on the restoration of the telescope can be found in "Telescope Making" magazine issue #30.
This project was a lot of fun to model.