Help identifying a telescope
October 16, 2023 7:44 AM Subscribe
Can you help me identify this massive telescope I accidentally inherited?
I recently agreed to remove a telescope from a deceased relative's house, having been assured that it was "really nice" and would be "great" for my daughters. Upon arrival, I was greeted with this behemoth, which is easily five times bigger than I was expecting it to be, and is way too much telescope for us. In its current configuration it's probably about 5'10" and I wouldn't be surprised to learn that it's 200 pounds. It doesn't appear to have ever been used, but it's missing its owners manual.
It's at my house now, looming in the corner of my bedroom. I'd like to figure out what kind of scope it even is, so I can ideally A) find an owner's manual for it, to B) confirm that it actually works (or fix it if it doesn't?), and then C) either sell it or donate it* or something. I've given it a once over but don't really see a model name, and I'm completely ignorant when it comes to telescopes so don't really know what else I should be looking for, etc. Can you identify it, or tell me how I could easily identify it? This is all it says on the baseplate. Where do people sell telescopes online?
*If you're within driving distance of St. Augustine, Florida and would like a big-ass telescope at a very reasonable price please MeMail me.
I recently agreed to remove a telescope from a deceased relative's house, having been assured that it was "really nice" and would be "great" for my daughters. Upon arrival, I was greeted with this behemoth, which is easily five times bigger than I was expecting it to be, and is way too much telescope for us. In its current configuration it's probably about 5'10" and I wouldn't be surprised to learn that it's 200 pounds. It doesn't appear to have ever been used, but it's missing its owners manual.
It's at my house now, looming in the corner of my bedroom. I'd like to figure out what kind of scope it even is, so I can ideally A) find an owner's manual for it, to B) confirm that it actually works (or fix it if it doesn't?), and then C) either sell it or donate it* or something. I've given it a once over but don't really see a model name, and I'm completely ignorant when it comes to telescopes so don't really know what else I should be looking for, etc. Can you identify it, or tell me how I could easily identify it? This is all it says on the baseplate. Where do people sell telescopes online?
*If you're within driving distance of St. Augustine, Florida and would like a big-ass telescope at a very reasonable price please MeMail me.
It's definitely a serious telescope that someone would love to have.
Celestron is a quality brand and it looks like it has all the modern punch in the coordinates remote control's. I cant quite see the text on the side of the scope, but if you google that + celestron+the diameter of the scope in inches, you'll get closer to the manuals you're looking for .
a lot of cities/counties/states have local astronomy clubs of hobbyists, which would be a good place to post about a big-ass telescope at a very reasonable price. here is the FB group for st augustine via go astronomy (which may have classifieds too?), but you might get more takers if you posted for nearby towns+counties as well.
another idea for folks to reach out to is the local university/planetarium.
posted by wowenthusiast at 8:00 AM on October 16, 2023 [4 favorites]
Celestron is a quality brand and it looks like it has all the modern punch in the coordinates remote control's. I cant quite see the text on the side of the scope, but if you google that + celestron+the diameter of the scope in inches, you'll get closer to the manuals you're looking for .
a lot of cities/counties/states have local astronomy clubs of hobbyists, which would be a good place to post about a big-ass telescope at a very reasonable price. here is the FB group for st augustine via go astronomy (which may have classifieds too?), but you might get more takers if you posted for nearby towns+counties as well.
another idea for folks to reach out to is the local university/planetarium.
posted by wowenthusiast at 8:00 AM on October 16, 2023 [4 favorites]
As the baseplate suggests, it appears to be something in the Celestron CPC Deluxe HD family. How long is the optical tube (the big cylinder)? According to this manual, the 800 is 17” long, the 925 is 22” long, and the 1100 is 24” long.
posted by zamboni at 8:00 AM on October 16, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by zamboni at 8:00 AM on October 16, 2023 [2 favorites]
Manual in PDF? That's one big-assed scope. Who knows but that one of your daughters might take to it. Local to you club.
posted by BobTheScientist at 8:02 AM on October 16, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by BobTheScientist at 8:02 AM on October 16, 2023 [1 favorite]
Also, what does it say under the lens cover? The rim of the optical tube should list a diameter in inches/mm (e.g.
posted by zamboni at 8:09 AM on October 16, 2023 [1 favorite]
11" (279mm)FL2800mmposted by zamboni at 8:09 AM on October 16, 2023 [1 favorite]
Yeah if that's an 1100 that's a $5K telescope. Fancy! If I were closer I'd totally take it off your hands. Make sure you don't let it go for too little, that subreddit can help you with pricing and for figuring out which model you have.
posted by rabbitrabbit at 8:12 AM on October 16, 2023 [3 favorites]
posted by rabbitrabbit at 8:12 AM on October 16, 2023 [3 favorites]
way too much telescope for us
If you're talking to local clubs, there may be someone who's looking to upgrade - consider whether you might take something more manageable as part of the trade.
posted by zamboni at 8:28 AM on October 16, 2023
If you're talking to local clubs, there may be someone who's looking to upgrade - consider whether you might take something more manageable as part of the trade.
posted by zamboni at 8:28 AM on October 16, 2023
Response by poster: Y'all are amazing, thanks so much!!! That is exactly the manual, BobTheScientist, and zamboni you hit the nail on the head, the rim of the tube says 11"/FL2800mm. I've got some homework to do, and may even need to lug this thing back downstairs tonight to see if it works. Thanks again!
posted by saladin at 8:38 AM on October 16, 2023 [3 favorites]
posted by saladin at 8:38 AM on October 16, 2023 [3 favorites]
You can also create a free account on Cloudy Nights and place a classified ad for local pickup only.
posted by indexy at 9:05 AM on October 16, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by indexy at 9:05 AM on October 16, 2023 [1 favorite]
the rim of the tube says 11"/FL2800mm
Just to give the full picture, it looks like you have a Celestron CPC Deluxe 1100 HD with the Starsense AutoAlign add-on. Given your relative seems to have gone for all the bells and whistles, if they were into cameras, poke around and see if there's a HD Pro Wedge hiding somewhere.
posted by zamboni at 9:24 AM on October 16, 2023 [2 favorites]
Just to give the full picture, it looks like you have a Celestron CPC Deluxe 1100 HD with the Starsense AutoAlign add-on. Given your relative seems to have gone for all the bells and whistles, if they were into cameras, poke around and see if there's a HD Pro Wedge hiding somewhere.
posted by zamboni at 9:24 AM on October 16, 2023 [2 favorites]
I missed the SkyPortal Wifi module visible in the baseplate photo.
posted by zamboni at 12:16 PM on October 16, 2023
posted by zamboni at 12:16 PM on October 16, 2023
way too much telescope
your kids will grow into it
What can you see with the Celestron CPC 1100 GPS?
Under severely light-polluted skies, galaxies are practically invisible or devoid of detail. However, when viewed through the CPC 1100 GPS under darker viewing conditions, these same galaxies explode with detail... Thousands of double stars can also be split with this powerful telescope—something that’s made easy thanks to the GoTo system included in the CPC 1100’s mount.
You can see endless tiny details on the Moon such as craters, mountains, and ridges, while the phases of Mercury and Venus are easily resolved. Mars shows various dark markings and its polar ice caps when the planet is at its closest to us, while Jupiter reveals colorful cloud belts and other atmospheric details, including the Great Red Spot. Jupiter’s four large Galilean moons are easily resolved as disks, along with their shadows during a transit, and Ganymede may show a surface feature or two. Saturn’s rings and the Cassini division in them are a delight, and very good seeing conditions will also permit the CPC 1100 GPS to resolve the Encke gap in the rings too...
posted by Iris Gambol at 1:18 PM on October 16, 2023 [1 favorite]
your kids will grow into it
What can you see with the Celestron CPC 1100 GPS?
Under severely light-polluted skies, galaxies are practically invisible or devoid of detail. However, when viewed through the CPC 1100 GPS under darker viewing conditions, these same galaxies explode with detail... Thousands of double stars can also be split with this powerful telescope—something that’s made easy thanks to the GoTo system included in the CPC 1100’s mount.
You can see endless tiny details on the Moon such as craters, mountains, and ridges, while the phases of Mercury and Venus are easily resolved. Mars shows various dark markings and its polar ice caps when the planet is at its closest to us, while Jupiter reveals colorful cloud belts and other atmospheric details, including the Great Red Spot. Jupiter’s four large Galilean moons are easily resolved as disks, along with their shadows during a transit, and Ganymede may show a surface feature or two. Saturn’s rings and the Cassini division in them are a delight, and very good seeing conditions will also permit the CPC 1100 GPS to resolve the Encke gap in the rings too...
posted by Iris Gambol at 1:18 PM on October 16, 2023 [1 favorite]
Celestron CPC 1100 GPS
The CPC 1100 GPS is a similar but cheaper telescope.
CPC 1100 GPS or Deluxe HD? Decisions.. Decisions..
posted by zamboni at 1:45 PM on October 16, 2023
The CPC 1100 GPS is a similar but cheaper telescope.
CPC 1100 GPS or Deluxe HD? Decisions.. Decisions..
posted by zamboni at 1:45 PM on October 16, 2023
May I share this fine Introduction to Amateur Astronomy YouTube course, courtesy of my own local astronomy club (the Kalamazoo Astronomical Society)? It's an excellent primer if you decide to get into this sort of thing yourself.
posted by hessie at 1:48 PM on October 16, 2023 [3 favorites]
posted by hessie at 1:48 PM on October 16, 2023 [3 favorites]
Ed Ting has a YouTube channel with reviews of lots of gear. He might have one about yours.
posted by SemiSalt at 7:22 PM on October 16, 2023
posted by SemiSalt at 7:22 PM on October 16, 2023
I second the suggestion to contact the Ancient City Astronomy Club. The Northeast Florida Astronomical Society is a bit farther away but appears to be better organized. If you attended one of their get-togethers, I bet they could show you how to use it and give you pointers on what to look at. And if you do decide to sell it, they could connect you with potential buyers.
One of the major reasons people give up on amateur astronomy is starting with too small of a telescope. With a scope of this size you can really see cool stuff that you wouldn't be able to pick up otherwise. I'm jealous.
posted by Johnny Assay at 4:20 AM on October 17, 2023 [2 favorites]
One of the major reasons people give up on amateur astronomy is starting with too small of a telescope. With a scope of this size you can really see cool stuff that you wouldn't be able to pick up otherwise. I'm jealous.
posted by Johnny Assay at 4:20 AM on October 17, 2023 [2 favorites]
Ed Ting has a YouTube channel with reviews of lots of gear. He might have one about yours.
Ed has a recent review of the CPC 1100, which is going to be largely applicable to this model.
posted by zamboni at 10:24 AM on October 17, 2023
Ed has a recent review of the CPC 1100, which is going to be largely applicable to this model.
posted by zamboni at 10:24 AM on October 17, 2023
Oh hey, the NE FL Astronomical Society is having a public stargazing event this Saturday night, and one of the comments from an organizer says that "we love to help people with their telescopes".
posted by Johnny Assay at 12:24 PM on October 17, 2023
posted by Johnny Assay at 12:24 PM on October 17, 2023
If you're taking it to a park, keep in mind that this telescope typically needs power. The NEFAS folks might be able to help you out, but it'd be a shame to lug it out there and discover that you can't turn it on. Celestron sells battery packs, but in theory anything with a 12V cigarette lighter outlet should work.
posted by zamboni at 1:37 PM on October 17, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by zamboni at 1:37 PM on October 17, 2023 [1 favorite]
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posted by wenestvedt at 7:58 AM on October 16, 2023 [2 favorites]