Marty's 10-inch Binoculars
This pair of 10 inch Newtonian telescopes built together to form alt-azimuth binoculars has long been a visitor to the annual Weekend Under The Stars event. Built of high quality plywood with a strong clearcoat finish, it is pure pleasure to sit at it's helm and stear it through the summer Milky Way using two eyes to dive into objects like the Veil nebula.
I don't know why, but in my mind I have always pictured someone playing the organ when I see them sitting on the driver's stool using this telescope. Someone will ask "Where's Marty?", and I'll answer "He's over in the south field playing the organ." But I digress...
The blue shroud is made of that stretchy material some swimsuits are made of. Setup and takedown is quickly accomplished with generously large thumbscrews.
This telescope stands out in my mind as a shining example of what can be done with some creativity, a table saw, and a few off-the-shelf hardware store parts. Very nice!
- Jim Sapp