TheSkySearchers

Anybody got an extra $1250 lying about:

https://agenaastro.com/tele-vue-1-25-2- ... -11mm.html

Can't do it, it is too pretty to use...

Not for me.

A good thing I am a lady or I might say something that would get me banned...
As usual, congratulations to the best thing about TeleVue, the marketing team...

Lady Fraktor wrote: ↑Wed Nov 06, 2019 5:39 am A good thing I am a lady or I might say something that would get me banned...
As usual, congratulations to the best thing about TeleVue, the marketing team...

Well now. I'm no lady. I'm also, selectively, a TeleVue fan. But this item strikes me as cheesy in the sense of overpriced Velveeta. Am I banned yet?

I own some of their equipment as well, just not a believer in the often stated, there is nothing else better.

Lady Fraktor wrote: ↑Wed Nov 06, 2019 8:20 am I own some of their equipment as well, just not a believer in the often stated, there is nothing else better.

In this case there's a serious question about what, if any, differences from the Nagler design this might represent. The lack of any technical info (beyond 85* AFOV, a field stop size of 16.2mm, and 19mm eye relief) that might serve to justify the huge price difference? Color me, nope.

Lady Fraktor wrote: ↑Wed Nov 06, 2019 5:39 am A good thing I am a lady or I might say something that would get me banned...
As usual, congratulations to the best thing about TeleVue, the marketing team...

Honestly I believe their marketing team messed this one up. For a "commemorative" item announcement /release
it would been much better to introduce it BEFORE the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11. Announce it almost 4 months
after the date to be commemorated....just to order? - no definitive date for shipment has been given.

At that price they should all be personally autographed & delivered.

They need to sift through the pre-orders to make sure their fan base gets them since there are only 300 going around the world.
I had a chuckle over a comment on CN that it is probably a rework of the Explore Scientific 12mm 92° eyepiece.

Lady Fraktor wrote: ↑Wed Nov 06, 2019 7:10 pm They need to sift through the pre-orders to make sure their fan base gets them since there are only 300 going around the world.
I had a chuckle over a comment on CN that it is probably a rework of the Explore Scientific 12mm 92° eyepiece.

That's hilarious!

It would be rather ironic though

According to the Agenaastro website, this eyepiece is manufactured in Taiwan. Not that I have anything against Taiwan, but it seems to me that if this is true, it substantially reduces the commemorative value of this eyepiece in regard to Apollo 11. If Taiwan had led the Apollo program, I might think otherwise. But... perhaps I just don't get it. Neither this eyepiece nor one similar even went to the moon, right? Rather, some other eyepiece, and evidently not necessarily of this design, was used in a simulator here on Earth. That's just too tenuous a connection to me, kinda like: "I have George Washington's original axe that chopped down the cherry tree, however the handle has been replaced three times and the head has been replaced twice."

The majority of TeleVue eyepieces are made in Taiwan so not really an issue for myself.

The TeleVue hardcore fan base goes on like the landings would never have happened without Mr. Nagler.
Thankfully there was a hundred thousand or more people to carry the load when he was having a bad day....

Lady Fraktor wrote: ↑Wed Nov 06, 2019 7:54 pm The majority of TeleVue eyepieces are made in Taiwan so not really an issue for myself.

The TeleVue hardcore fan base goes on like the landings would never have happened without Mr. Nagler.
Thankfully there was a hundred thousand or more people to carry the load when he was having a bad day....

Yeah, that's really silly of the fans and is nausea inducing like personality cults do. One of those hundred thousand was an uncle of mine who worked guidance systems on the Saturn V. He didn't know, let alone get any help from Mr Nagler....

Lady Fraktor wrote: ↑Wed Nov 06, 2019 7:54 pm ...The TeleVue hardcore fan base goes on like the landings would never have happened without Mr. Nagler.
...

Interesting. So an optics/eyepiece designer (albeit highly-skilled, famous in his field) can actually have fans? Hmm. This gives me ideas. You see, I've designed some "cool" antennas... Only a relatively small technical community even knows about them, but... I wonder if any of those people would qualify as "fans" of my work? Perhaps some of the young graduate students (again, not a large number by any sensible standard, but even so, more than zero) who have sought me out at certain antenna-related technical conferences could be called "fans." But, before your comment, I never before thought about designing some kind of commemorative antenna! Maybe a little bitty one, perhaps, like those ZWO mini-camera key chains? (e.g., https://www.highpointscientific.com/zwo ... m-keychain ) .
Well... it's something to think about. Everyone needs a little ego boost now and then, you know.
Added later:
Sigh. Evidently, I continue to only rediscover old ideas, e.g.,
(Not one of my antennas.)
Also: My apologies for wandering off-topic, somewhat.

Sounds like a reasonable eyepiece for my $65 telescope

I contacted the TV dealer here in Oz before I saw this thread and the US price. He has 4 coming in, 2 are pre-sold and I could have one if I forked out $A2099 ($US1445)...
I passed and thanked him for the offer. He has probably sold them all now.

Just for fun I mentioned it to my wife. It got the quickest "No!" I have ever heard!

I like my TV eyepieces (except for the 9mm T1 Nagler), but got them all either second hand or when the Aussie $ was on parity with the $US. They are getting way too pricey now. I can understand that Al has fans: I understand he is a nice guy and great to deal with and he has done a lot to develop some very nice equipment to encourage the amateur astronomy community. I don't think he has a 10-year + waiting list for new scopes like another US manufacturer though.

Hang on: maybe if I got 3 of the Apollo 11 eyepieces I might be able to trade with someone who has lucked out on that waiting list... hmmm

Ahem. FYI, I have been conveyed a message from someone who sought and acquired a statement from an employee of Agena Astro, specifically addressing a query about the connection, if any, between the design of this eyepiece and any eyepiece(s) used in the Apollo 11 simulator mentioned in the Televue promotional materials. Here is that statement: "It is not said in any of Tele Vue's communications that the design of this eyepiece is in any way related to the optics used in the visual simulator used to train astronauts during the Gemini and Apollo programs."

The EP looks too cheap to be genuine, I am afraid,

JG

I'm sure they probably crushed some moon rocks and melted them to make the glass etc .... if theres a buck in it .... still a hundred yrs from now at the 150th anniversary imagine what it will be worth..

AntennaGuy wrote: ↑Fri Nov 08, 2019 9:17 pm Ahem. FYI, I have been conveyed a message from someone who sought and acquired a statement from an employee of Agena Astro, specifically addressing a query about the connection, if any, between the design of this eyepiece and any eyepiece(s) used in the Apollo 11 simulator mentioned in the Televue promotional materials. Here is that statement: "It is not said in any of Tele Vue's communications that the design of this eyepiece is in any way related to the optics used in the visual simulator used to train astronauts during the Gemini and Apollo programs."

I am not sure if this was an issue here perhaps at that other site?
Though Mr. Nagler helped design the simulator optics people seem to set aside the fact that this was a team effort and not accomplished by one person working alone.
The fan club elsewhere tends to cause a twitch in my right eye at times.