Classic Telescopes - Neil English

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Résumé :
Classic telescopes are of interest to amateur astronomers for a variety of reasons. There are the dedicated collectors, but there are also many amateurs who love the nostalgia they inspire. These telescopes feel different from any contemporary telescope and perhaps have a unique ability to reconnect the owner to a bygone age of craftmanship. This book takes a look at traditional telescopes built by the great instrument makers of the 18th and 19th centuries, particularly the dynastic telescope makers, including Dollond, Alvan Clark, Thomas Cooke & Sons, and Carl Zeiss. Also included are lesser luminaries such as John Brashear, John Calver, William Wray, Henry Fitz, and William Henry Mogey. 'Classic Telescopes' covers the key features of the telescopes designed by these manufacturers, and shows how a heady combination of market trends, instrument condition, and pedigree will dictate their prices at auction. 'Classic Telescopes' also shows the reader how to find real bargains! Interviews with top classic telescope collectors (and users) provide the best tips of prospecting for a genuine acquisition....

Biographie:
Dr. Neil English is an Irish citizen with a BSc in Physics & Astronomy, and also a PhD in Biochemistry. He is a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society, and a regular contributor to Astronomy Now (the UK's major astronomy magazine), as well as to Ireland's Astronomy & Space. Dr. English's astronomical images have been published in various magazines and journals, including a full page in the June 2006 issue of Astronomy. Dr. English has, and continues to, make contributions to Cloudy Nights in the form of several detailed telescope reviews. He is the author of Guide to Mars (Pole Star Publications, 2003) and he has three books published by Springer: Choosing and Using a Refracting Telescope (2010), Choosing and Using a Dobsonian Telescope (2011), Classic Telescopes (2012). His fourth book with Springer is Grab 'n' Go Astronomy (2014). Dr. English currently has (among other instruments) a large 12-inch Dobsonian which he uses on the darkest, steadiest nights at his home in ruralScotland....

Sommaire:
Self-confessed classicist, Dr. Neil English, is the author of two influential books on commercial telescopes, both published by Springer, including the highly lauded Choosing and Using a Refracting Telescope and Choosing and Using a Dobsonian Telescope. English has conducted extensive research on the properties of the classical refractor and published widely on his finding both online and in commissioned articles for leading amateur astronomy periodicals, including Astronomy Now. He lives under the dark skies of rural central Scotland with his wife and two sons....