[AZ-Observing] Re: Pierre Schwaar Telescopes (Was: A Smile and a Frown)
- From: "Gene A. Lucas" <geneluca@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: az-observing@xxxxxxxxxxxxx,"\"Lucas, Gene\" work" <gene.lucas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sun, 04 Jan 2004 23:02:53 -0700
Frank, If you were referring to the 20 inch Newtonian on the large
"Super-Bigfoot" mounting that Pierre used personally, it is now at the
Vega-Bray Observatory near Benson, AZ ("Starwatchers Inn"). I
personally saw it there a few months ago, courtesy of Wayne Johnson,
"Mr. Galaxy". Evidently (the late) Dr. Eduardo Vega purchased it for
the Observatory.
NB, I know of two other 20 inch telescopes that Pierre made optics for
and helped construct. One is owned by Tom Polakis (mirror by Pierre,
Dobsonian mount by Tom); the other is owned by Wayne Thomas of EVAC
(mirror and Dobsonian mount construction by Pierre, to Wayne's design --
a truss tube.) This latter instrument is pretty easy to set up and take
down, as demonstrated at RTMC a year or so back.
I would like to know about other "Big Foot" (or other large aperture)
scopes constructed by Pierre. His sister has the records on the
(several hundred) telescopes he constructed.
Pierre made several other large aperture scopes that he used personally,
including a 16 inch and a 14 inch Newtonian. The primary mirror for the
latter scope was ground from a Celestron Schmidt camera (11 x 14 inch)
mirror blank, which was originally molded to about an f:2 or faster
curve, so he spent about 150 hours grinding the blank back out to
approx. f:4. I asked him if he would do the same on the similar blank
that I have, but he declined! This made a very nice lighter weight 14
inch telescope.
Other instruments by Pierre that I know of:
Pierre's very early 16 inch equatorial mounting is owned by Rick
Rotrammel. I saw Pierre machining parts for this mounting (at the U. of
AZ physics lab) when I was in Tucson in the USAF about 30 years ago,
when we first met.
Gerry Rattley has a nice 14 inch Newtonian OTA by Pierre, mounted on an
equatorial mount.
Dwight Bogan had a 14 inch on a Bigfoot mounting, which has been sold to
another party.
The components of Pierre's 8 inch riding binocular scope are in the
hands of Steve Dodder. We have plans to restore it to operation.
Several of Pierre's Merit Award-winning telescopes are shown in the
Archive Web Pages for the RTMC: http://www.rtmcastronomyexpo.org/
Pierre also won a telescope making award at one of the ASP/ALPO
conferences in San Francisco some years ago.
Gene Lucas (17250)
Frank Martin wrote:
> Tom, thanks for reminding us all of this. It is good to remember what Pierre
> brought to the astronomy community. He is the one that got me started in
> 1981, and I have been enjoying the sport ever since. I have some fond
> memories of building the "Super Big Foot" with him. What a project. The
> last I heard Dick Jacobs has the mount.
> Thanks, Frank Martin
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