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Latest News and Developments from TeleVueSelect from the date or topics below to read detailed information: 
Introduction and General Availability Information
Company Seven displays numerous interesting telescopes including the TeleVue 70mm f6.8 Ranger and it's cousin the Pronto, the TeleVue 76 apochromat, TeleVue 85 apochromat in both conventional finish and the very first 85 made in Brass, the 102 4" apochromat , the stunning 4 inch 101 Renaissance apochromat, and the state of the art NP101 apochromat telescopes in our Laurel, showroom. We stock and show all the TeleVue eyepieces, lenses, diagonals, mounts, and a variety of compatible third party mounts and accessories. TeleVue provides a comprehensive and well integrated telescope system, supported by the only firm in North America that has as much experience with so many of the best products in the industry. We encourage you to take full advantage of our experience and resources, and if at all possible to visit our showroom to see these instruments and try out their eyepieces.
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TeleVue initially announced these new telescopes to retailers in the Summer 2010. Company Seven commenced making deliveries of these telescopes on 12 October 2010. Feel free to contact Company Seven for additional details or to place an order for delivery as these become available.
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Right: Another of TeleVue's beautifully produced introductory photos showing of the 6mm and 17mm Ethos with their cousins.
TeleVue initially announced these two new eyepieces in Septmeber 2008, and Company Seven expects to begin making deliveries of the first 6mm and 17mm Ethos in early 2009. Feel free to contact Company Seven for additional details or to place an order for delivery when these become available. At the initial introduction of the eyepiece (mentioned below on this page) TeleVue featured the prototype 13mm Ethos eyepiece installed onto a TeleVue NP101 telescope; this produced an actual field of view of 2.35 degrees at 42X! The telescope was focused onto a pinpoint artificial star, and as observers moved the telescope to position the star across the eyepiece field of view the star appeared as a pinpoint throughout the observing sessions. The wide tack sharp apparent field of view and clarity throughout the entire field of view remaind even when Ethos is used on very fast focal ratio telescopes (f/5, f4.5, etc.). A simple way to think of the ultra wide field of view these cover is to consider the actual field of view shown by a typical Plössl eyepiece, about 50 degree apparent field of view eyepiece, now imagine that same actual field of view but observed at twice the magnification. So the 6mm Ethos shows about the same area as a 12mm Plossl, but at twice the magnficiation. The 17mm Ethos shows a greater actual field of view than is possible with any 1.25 diamater eyepiece, since the largest Field Stop measured by Company Seven's technicians has been no greater than 27.14mm diameter! But sorry, we offer no binocular viewer yet to accommodate two 17mm Ethos. And for those observers with astigmatism, the Ethos eyepieces all accept the optional DIOPTRX™ Eyesight Astigmatism Correction Lens; another unrivaled innovation from Al Nagler. |
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The 6mm Ethos features the same 1.25 and 2 inch barrel arrangement as does the 8mm Ethos. And these Ethos will accept standard thread in 1.25 inch diameter x 42 tpi (28.5 x 0.6 mm) filters. And as we do for our 12mm Nagler customers, Company Seven will offer a thread-on 2" Barrel Extension so that your Ethos may be drawn out on a Focuser as needed to attain focus with telescopes that lack focus travel, and this offers the side benefit of accepting thread on 48mm filters.
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Unlike the previously announced Ethos eyepieces, the new 17mm Ethos is has only a 2 inch diamater barrel. So this accepts common 48mm threaded filters and accessories. The other particulars of note are similar to its cousins.
Remember, Company Seven expects to begin making deliveries of the first 6mm and 17mm Ethos in January or February 2009. If you wish to have one of these in time for Spring observing, then we recommend contact Company Seven to place an order. |
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TeleVue Optics has announced the second of their 'Ethos' series eyepieces, the 8mm joins its bigger brother the 13mm Ethos. Ethos delivers a 100 degree apparent field of view that is tack sharp all across the entire field of view. At the initial introduction of the eyepiece (mentioned below on this page) TeleVue featured the prototype 13mm Ethos eyepiece installed onto a TeleVue NP101 telescope; this produced an actual field of view of 2.35 degrees at 42X! The telescope was focused onto a pinpoint artificial star, and as observers moved the telescope to position the star across the eyepiece field of view the star appeared as a pinpoint throughout the observing sessions. The wide tack sharp apparent field of view and clarity throughout the entire field of view remaind even when Ethos is used on very fast focal ratio telescopes (f/5, f4.5, etc.).
Right: TeleVue's beautifully produced introductory photo of the 8mm Ethos with the 13mm. As TeleVue explains: "In addition to matching all the key performance criteria of its 13mm sibling, the new 8mm version is parfocal in 1¼" focusers with Radians, Plössls, Type 6 Naglers and 1¼" Panoptics. Further, its lighter weight and smaller diameter than the 13mm Ethos makes the 8mm suitable for anyone using a binocular viewer. Another application is for spotting scope set-ups with the Tele Vue 60° 1¼" diagonal. In comparing it to our 8 to 24mm Zoom eyepiece, the 8mm Ethos has the power of the 8mm Zoom and 83% of the field of the 24mm setting!"
The eye relief of the 8mm Ethos will similarly be a comfortable 15mm. And for those observers with astigmatism, the 8mm Ethos accepts the optional DIOPTRX™ Eyesight Astigmatism Correction Lens; another unrivaled innovation from Al Nagler. Both Ethos are surprisingly compact and light weight since they take advantage of glass and production innovations developed over the past decade. The Ethos feature the 1.25 and 2 inch barrel arrangement that TeleVue popularized and offers to this day with the 12mm Nagler Type 4 for example. The 8mm Ethos will accept standard thread in 1.25 inch diameter x 42 tpi (28.5 x 0.6 mm) filters. And as we do for our 12mm Nagler customers, Company Seven will offer a thread-on 2" Barrel Extension so that your Ethos may be drawn out on a Focuser as needed to attain focus with telescopes that lack focus travel, and this offers the side benefit of accepting thread on 48mm filters. Initially announced in April, with pricing to be determined, Company Seven expects to begin making deliveries of the first 8mm Ethos in July or August 2008. Feel free to contact Company Seven for additional details or to place an order for delivery when these become available.
Company Seven will refund 10% of the price paid to our original customer for any TeleVue telescope sold by us within the past thirty days prior to the posting of the sale notice; this is not provided for by TeleVue but is provided by out of respect for our own customers. Our customers may contact Company Seven to request their refund. For detailed price listings please read our TeleVue Product Prices page.
Factory Authorized Sale - "13/13" - 13% Savings for 13 Weeks from 1 October through 28 December 2007 at Company Seven!
This is one heck of a chance for those with a new Telescope or those upgrading to realize prices not seen in over a decade. For detailed price listings please read our TeleVue Product Prices page.
TeleVue announces "Ethos" Series Eyepieces: 28 April 2007
 TeleVue Optics has announced 'Ethos' their newest ultra wide angle eyepiece series. Ethos delivers a 100 degree apparent field of view that is tack sharp all across the entire field of view. At the initial introduction of the eyepiece TeleVue featured the prototype 13mm Ethos eyepiece installed onto a TeleVue NP101 telescope; this produced an actual field of view of 2.35 degrees at 42X! The telescope was focused onto a pinpoint artificial star, and as observers moved the telescope to position the star across the eyepiece field of view the star appeared as a pinpoint throughout the observing sessions. The wide tack sharp apparent field of view and clarity throughout the entire field of view remaind even when Ethos is used on very fast focal ratio telescopes (f/5, f4.5, etc.).
The eye relief of the Ethos was comfortable, the design is scaled to have eye relief of about 1.15x the focal length. So for example the Ethos in 13mm focal length provides 15mm of eye relief. And for those observers with astigmatism, Ethos accepts the optional DIOPTRX™ Eyesight Astigmatism Correction Lens; another unrivaled innovation from Al Nagler. Weighing about 1.24 lbs (0.56 kg), the 13mm Ethos is surprisingly compact and light weight since it takes advantage of glass and production innovations developed over the past decade. At first glance the prototype 13mm Ethos eyepiece resembles a scaled up and more streamlined version of the original TeleVue 13mm Nagler eyepiece that was introduced in 1979 (Company Seven maintains the last production version of the 13mm Nagler in our Museum Collection on display). The 13mm Ethos features the 1.25 and 2 inch barrel arrangement that TeleVue popularized and offers to this day with the 12mm Nagler Type 4 for example. The 13mm Ethos will accept standard thread in 1.25 inch diameter x 42 tpi (28.5 x 0.6 mm) filters. And as we do for our 12mm Nagler customers, Company Seven will offer a thread-on 2" Barrel Extension so that the 13mm Ethos may be drawn out on a Focuser as needed to attain focus with telescopes that lack focus travel, and this offers the side benefit of accepting thread on 48mm filters. Based on the limits imposed by the 2 inch Barrel diameter, it is likely that TeleVue will offer 2 diameter versions of Ethos eyepieces in focal lengths as low as 24mm or so. And 1.25 inch diameter barrel models of the Ethos could be made in focal lengths as low as 19mm. Making some basic assumptions and without yet having tested the new Ethos to determine its degree of distortion (all production wide angle eyepieces exhibit this effect this to some degree or another), we can guess the Ethos design will show 1.49X the area of a similar focal length Nagler series eyepiece or about the true field of view as the 16mm Nagler Type 5. It will show 2.16 times the area of a similar focal length Panoptic (if there were one of course), and of course four times the area of a Plössl. With a 26mm Plössl for example having a Field Stop on the order of 22mm diameter, one can guess the 13mm Ethos will have a similar diameter Field Stop and that one will see about the same actual field of view with the 13mm Ethos as one would see with a 26mm Plössl but at TWICE THE MAGNIFICATION! Just imagine seeing the full Moon at 156x in an 20 inch f/4.8 Dobsonian - with a true field of view of 0.52 Degrees. The possibilities for what we might see with longer focal length versions of Ethos stir the imagination! Over recent years Martin at Company Seven has been urging the implementation of designs that will reduce weight and distortion too - let's see what 'Uncle Al' came up with. Given TeleVue's reputation for high performance innovation, we expect to be enchanted by Ethos. And as Al Nagler notes on the TeleVue web site: "For reference, the maximum angular magnification distortion of the new 13mm Ethos is no more than 1% at any point in the 100° field" Initially announced on 28 April in 13mm focal length with pricing to be determined, other focal lengths will follow. Of course, Company Seven will be among the first in the world to show the eyepieces and have them in stock; we expect to recieve the first Ethos in late Summer or Fall 2007. You can read about the 13mm Ethos and feel free to contact Company Seven for additional details or to place an order for delivery when these become available later in 2007. Postscript: Company Seven began making deliveries of the first Ethos in September 2007!
The book features photos and visual descriptions by the author with a TeleVue 101 4 Inch f/5.4 and TeleVue 102 4 inch f/8.6 apochromat refracting telescopes. You may see a picture of the author with one of his TeleVue telescopes at The Next Step - Finding and Viewing Messier's Objects. There is no word about the planned term of this promotion, but it was still in effect into 2006. The offer subject to termination at the discretion of TeleVue Optics, Inc. "The Next Step" Book Review Excerpts From Astronomy Magazine: "Over the past 30 years, a number of books have focused on helping novices find and observe the Messier catalog of deep-sky objects. But of all the books I have read, none is better suited for the beginner than Graun's book. Its 352 pages cover a range of topics from an historical overview, basics on telescopes and observing, star charts, and, of course, the entire Messier catalog. Graun opens with more than 50 pages on not only the life of Charles Messier, but also detailed accounts on his colleague Pierre Mechain and associates Joseph Nicolas Delisle and Joseph Lalonde; and even a section on John Louis Emil Dreyer, the compiler of the NGC and IC catalogs. Profusely illustrated and well-researched, this section gives the reader a sense of what it was like living and observing in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. There is also a fanciful discussion between the author and Messier over his omission of the Double Cluster from his catalog. The second section delves into a variety of observing-related topics. There is plenty of useful information on telescopes - including how to calculate magnification and field of view. Graun presents good tips on star hopping, and provides multicolor star charts that are both pleasing to the eye and work well at night with little light. He also includes detailed charts for the complicated areas of Sagittarius and the Virgo Cluster. The heart of the book is devoted to the Messier catalog objects. Graun uses two pages for each object and includes both Messier's original description and Dryer's entry in the NGC catalog. Modern information on each object includes the object type, location, the best observing periods for both evening and morning hours, and descriptive notes using a 4-inch refractor at 48x (the telescope Graun used for this book). Overall, this book is an excellent reference for the beginner, and even the more seasoned observer. Graun's book is well conceived and would be a welcome addition to any amateur's library." Astronomy Magazine, October 2005, p.106
In addition to this, TeleVue has decided to include the Bandmate Light Pollution series filters in the sale: For current pricing please read our TeleVue Product Prices page.
30 Janaury 2003: Al and Judy Nagler visit Company Seven!
127 Telescope: The new TeleVue 127mm telescope is an f5.2 flat field, four element design. It is similar to an upscaled NP101 - TeleVue's highly regarded 4 inch Apo telescope. Our first impressions included surprise at how relatively compact this 5 inch refractor telescope is. The 127 fit neatly into the same hard-shell carrying case as that which TeleVue provides with the NP101 and 102 four inch Apos. In a departure from the conventional case arrangement, because the 127 is longer than its 4 inch cousins, the 2 inch Everbrite Mirror Diagonal is stored in a compartment within the lid of the carrying case; this space can accommodate several other accessories including eyepieces and or camera adapters. The air spaced objective of the 127 is placed more near the forward edge of the Front Cell to help accommodate its arrangement in the carrying case. We performed some limited tests of the telescope using eyepieces including the new TeleVue 2.5mm Nagler Type 6, all results were consistent with our experiences with the proven NP101.
TeleVue showed a prototype larger version of the popular "Gibraltar" mount which is intended for use with the 127 telescope. It is engineered to fit onto the Ash tripod as is provided by TeleVue on the "Gibraltar" mount, but the machined aluminum trunion and carriage arrangement has been enlarged to better accommodate the 127 telescope. However, this new mount will probably follow the 127 deliveries since more design work is pending.
The production 127 telescope will be finished in a manner similar to that of the NP101. It will include a transparent, lightweight lens cover, 2 inch Everbrite Mirror Diagonal, 2 inch to 1.25 inch reducer adapter, and one pair of Mounting Rings, and the above mentioned carrying case.
A more detailed report on this new telescope with more images will be posted on line in our TeleVue telescopes section. Company Seven will soon display the first production 127 telescope, another addition to our "Martin C. Cohen Memorial Telescope Museum Collection"!
We expect to be making fist deliveries of this new telescope well before the coming Mars Opposition of August 2003. The credibility of TeleVue is so good, and our first evaluations of the pre production 127 telescope are so favorable that Company Seven will begin accepting orders immediately.
Eyepieces:Also shown on 30 January were the first of the new TeleVue eyepieces for year 2003, these include:
Right: At left is the TeleVue 31 mm Nagler Type 5 and to the right is the new 41 mm Panoptic eyepieces (47,617 bytes).
The new 41 mm Panoptic shows a wider true field of view, with less distortion and better contrast than the 1980's lens technology could provide. The 41 mm Panoptic will provide about the same actual field of view as that which the largest 2" eyepieces can provide. The 41 mm Panoptic eyepiece is a big brother to the 24 mm Panoptic (which provides the largest actual field of view of any 1.25" ocular). And now with its 46 mm field stop, the 41 mm Panoptic delivers the largest field possible in a 2 inch eyepiece. An adjustable and removable screw-type top allows quick, comfortable eye positioning. The scalloped shape gives a positive grip.
The 41 mm Panoptic will fill a niche where one wishes to obtain the widest possible field of view with a breath taking perspective that can only be provided with wide angle lenses (in this case 68 degrees apparent field of view). Or for people who are concerned about Exit Pupil operating telescopes of f5.8 and longer. The 41 mm Panoptic is not quite as massive as the TeleVue 31 mm Nagler ("Terminagler" as it has become known), but still weighs in at a bit more than 2 lbs. This eyepiece incorporates a mechanism to permit the user to adjust the eye cup position in or out.
Company Seven is now accepting orders for these new eyepieces.
"Bandmate" LPR Filters: as if Al had not already met his quota for innovation for year 2003, he showed examples of the new TeleVue "Oxygen III" and "UHC" light pollution rejection filters. These multiple layer filters are designed to reject light emitted by common sources of light pollution (mostly Sodium and Mercury street lighting) while they pass select portions of the visible spectrum emitted (usually) from nebulae. It is not so much that these filters make the faint objects brighter, is only that by making the background darker (a greenish or golden background typically seen around cities becomes blacker), then the very faint objects stand out better. When properly selected, Light Pollution Rejection Filters filters may make many of the otherwise invisible nebulous objects in the suburban sky appear obvious. But when improperly, an LPR filter may make the obvious invisible. If your interest includes observing nebulae and similar faint objects, then we suggest you acquire at least a Broad Band nebular filter; we offer several of these including filters made by Orion and DayStar for examples. And if you can afford it, and are interested in observing very faint nebulae then we suggest that you also buy a narrow band filter such as either the Orion "Ultrablock", or the new TeleVue Bandmate "UHC" or "OIII" (Oxygen 3) Narrow Band filter neither narrow band filter is suitable for imaging.
These will be made available in 2" to fit most of our 48 mm threaded accessories, and 1.25" diameter. Each filter will be inspected, and marked TeleVue, the filter series, and a Serial Number! If you intend to stay only with 1.25" diameter oculars (such as furnished with your telescope) and not buy 2" diameter accessories and do not eventually plan on doing long exposure astrophotography, then buy these filters in 1.25" diameter - they will thread into the barrel of any eyepiece that I offer to you (some other brands of eyepiece do not accept standard 1.25" filters).
Vixen North America will operate from TeleVue's new headquarters in Chester, N.Y. with its own staff headed by Bill Copeland, Sales Manager. Mr. Copeland has broad sales experience including having managed a retail telescope store in Minnesota. When TeleVue learned Mr. Copeland was planning a return move to the East Coast, TeleVue invited him to join the TeleVue company. TeleVue has hired Mr. Peter Carboni to work on areas including web site development, literature, and other projects for both TeleVue and Vixen North America. A current Vixen product brochure is now available, although TeleVue has yet to announce pricing and availability details. Some Background on Vixen:
Vixen is a Japanese based manufacturer, distributor and exporter of telescopes, binoculars, microscopes, and accessories geared for a clientele that spans from novice to the advanced amateur. The history of Vixen begins in October 1949 when their present Chairman Mr. Kousuke Tsuchida, started a wholesale business specializing in optical goods. The original company name was established in March 1954 when "Koyu Company, Limited" was formed in Shinjuku, Tokyo. In August 1969, their manufacturing division, Vixen Optical Company, Limited was founded in Itabashi, Tokyo. And in August 1970 the name "Koyu Co., Ltd. was changed to Vixen Company, Limited. Since 1985 Vixen has been located in Tokorozawa, Japan. The company's most noteworthy areas of expertise include the incorporation of "go to" computer control electronics into a number of their portable German equatorial mounts. Starting with the "SkySensor" introduced in 1984, continuing with the introduction in 2004 of the STAR BOOK and SPHINX series of "Go To" German equatorial mounts, Vixen has developed original products that offer reasonable solutions as a child's first telescope, or a capable instrument for the adult. By the early 1980's Vixen also featured well made achromatic and the then state of the art fluorite doublet apochromatic telescopes (most notably the highly regarded Vixen 102 Fluorite Apo, some Newtonian models, and a variety of binoculars and interesting accessories.
The following is a part of the ballad composed in 1822 by an American scholar and poet Mr. Clement Clark Moore (1779-1863). More rapid than eagles his coursers they came, And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name: "Now, Dasher! now, Dancer! now, Prancer!, and Vixen! On, Comet! on, Cupid! on, Downer and Blitzen!"
In the ballad, there are eight reindeers drawing a sledge of Santa Claus. Each reindeer is named by him. Company Seven's Observations Company Seven has experience with the Vixen products since we have offered their better products for more than twenty years. We continue to stock and offer some of their better telescopes, mounts and accessories. Vixen has a history marked by innovation of relatively affordable, good to very high performance products. However, their distribution experience in the U.S.A. has been a mix of success and failure, and the stresses from third world competition and the Japanese recession have taken their toll. A history lesson might be kept in mind if TeleVue is to make this effort successful. Over the years Vixen products have been distributed by several U.S. companies, most notably by Celestron International and more recently by Orion. Some people will recall limited distribution agreements including the choice by Astro-Physics to offer the Vixen Super Polaris-DX mount (now replaced by a lighter capacity "Great Polaris DX") for sale with their four inch and 12cm ED telescopes. The SP-DX mount was good Vixen product that was completely overlooked by Celestron the U.S. distributor at the time, who underestimated the U.S. appetite for decent quality products. Japan had come from the wreckage of World War II to become the butt of 1950's quality control jokes - "made in Japan" was not considered a compliment. But Japan's industries improved, they became innovators and not just copiers, and the Japan of the late 1960's into the 1980's came to dominate the production of small moderate to excellent quality optics. By the early 1980'2 Vixen featured well made achromatic and the then state of the art fluorite doublet apochromatic telescopes (most notably the highly regarded Vixen 102 Fluorite Apo, some Newtonian models, and a variety of binocualrs and interesting accessories. But storm clouds were brewing for Japan. Celestron was the sole U.S. distributor of Vixen products in the mid 1980's when the U.S. Dollar was substantially devalued against the Japanese Yen under the Reagan administration. Company Seven observed the price of the highly regarded Japanese made products including those made by Vixen skyrocket; good refracting telescopes in particular became much more expensive commodities. Just as Japan had been teased for its mimicking of foreign made innovations, China was entering the world market. By the late 1990's the Chinese developed telescopes and mounts that so closely copied the external appearance (but not the performance) of competing products where the external resemblance is often so exact that only the paint can differentiate them. By 1990 Celestron who was selling telescopes such as the 80mm Altazimuth Refractor for about $550 was faced by their prime competitor advertising a poorer quality 90mm achromatic telescope selling for notably less than Celestron's 80; Company Seven mentioned in our web site "a very good 80mm telescope will outperform a lesser grade of 90mm telescope in many areas of astronomy". However, the typical consumer when poorly counseled and otherwise ignorant of details will usually choose that which appears to be the "best buy", and so the sales of Celestron Vixen telescopes plummeted. Celestron management became convinced that the cheaper, relatively poorly made products would sell better in the U.S.A. than the more costly, better made Japanese products and so they too eventually dropped Vixen telescopes in favor of less capable Chinese made products. Celestron drew fire from the experienced amateur community for appearing to "sell out'; a Company Seven noted in our web site introduction to the current variety of cheap refractors offered by Celestron:
Orion telescopes of California is a well regarded mail order oriented retailer whose ower came to realize that for its success Orion should rely less on companies run by people who probably knew less than he. And so Orion gradually picked up products and sometimes marketed these under the "Orion" trademark, or designed and commissioned items to be made for sale under their trademark. And Orion came to a agreement that until 2002 made it the distributor of Vixen telescopes in the U.S.A. Orion too faced the same problem of having a good Japanese made product that was not enjoying the demand that cheaper Chinese made telescopes. And even after the agreement between TeleVue and Vixen, Orion will continue to distribute the Vixen Lanthanum eyepieces, and the Vixen "Megaview" binoculars. Our Thoughts About the Future At first glance, one might wonder why would TeleVue be interested in offering a product line that might be viewed as competing with their own. In fact, TeleVue has become more like a BMW - refined and technologically quite advanced, if not actually setting the new top standards for excellence of eyepieces and compact telescopes. While Vixen is more like a Ford or Chevrolet - offering a little bit of everything for most novice and intermediate astronomers. TeleVue will offer most of the Vixen product line, with TeleVue's good name and credibility adding to the marketing efforts of even the simple Vixen telescopes. Similar Top Line Telescopes: TeleVue has developed telescopes that are simply unrivaled by the Vixen line, these include the 101NP and TeleVue 85 telescopes. The closest competitors between TeleVue and Vixen might be the four inch TeleVue 102 f8.6 Apo which is superior in mechanical quality, included features and accessories, and overall performance to the $2,200 Vixen 102 f9 Fluorite Apo. But the Vixen fluorites and other telescopes could be successful again in the U.S.A if pricing and proper representation are provided. The 102FL sold for $2,200 notably less than the TeleVue 102's current $2,695, even after the cost differences of included accessories are adjusted. If the prices could be kept down, then the Vixen top line fluorite Apos might be considered as very attractive, lightweight alternatives (the 102FL weighs only 7.5 lbs - the lightest weight good quality 4" Apo) to the TeleVue standards. It is the mounts!: an obvious area of obvious mutual compatibility will be German equatorial mounts. TeleVue never developed this costly accessory for their telescopes. In the past TeleVue offered only a very simple German mount which was followed by the Carton made "RSM" German Mount which has been discontinued by TeleVue for many years. Since then TeleVue has been happy to see Losmandy and Astro-Physics among others develop suitable mounts. The Vixen GP and GP-DX mounts in particular will be welcome offerings, well able to manage the TeleVue telescopes. But we think TeleVue will have to persuade Vixen to change the green paint of their mounts to something more suitable for telescopes with the tasteful appearance that the TeleVue are known for. And finally, yes it may still come down to pricing. TeleVue will have to find a way to keep the prices of apparently similar Vixen products down so that they do not approach that of the generally superior TeleVue eyepieces and telescopes. Support for prior sales: any Vixen products sold by Company Seven whether distributed through Celestron (over the 1980's), or by Orion (1990's-2002), or by Company Seven directly will continue to be supported by Company Seven. Any new Vixen telescope, mount or accessory sold through Company Seven from Vixen North America will be supported not only by Company Seven but also by TeleVue/Vixen North America.
9 August 2001 The first production TeleVue NP 101 Telescope arrives at Company Seven!
And aside from now absolutely being among the best corrected 4" Apochromatic telescopes, the new NP 101 features a length of only 29 inches - with 2" Diagonal in place! This means that one will be able to remove the diagonal, and pack the telescope into a case so compact that the lightweight 11 lb. telescope can be carried on as luggage onto a commercial aircraft. And while the TeleVue Gibraltar alt-azimuth mount seems to be the first choice of most of our 4" Apo telescope customers, we offer a variety of less costly and lighter weight German equatorial mounts that can manage the weight and torque of this new telescope. The new telescope focuser is the first TeleVue model to incorporate the new non-marring clamp hardware, as does the new TeleVue "Everbrite" diagonal, and the TeleVue 2" to 1.25" reducer. This hardware is available for sale for use with other telescopes, and is now standard on the TeleVue 85, and TeleVue 102 telescopes too. Company Seven will make special arrangements for prior customers who now wish to trade in their older TeleVue accessories to buy the new hardware. And one last special note: the first telescope telescope is Serial No. 1001 - the first production model, signed at rear of OTA "Marty's lens, Al" by Al Nagler. This NP101 is now a permanent part of Company Seven's "Martin C. Cohen Memorial Telescope Museum" collection showroom display!
The real challenge was to look through the new eyepiece, and we were frankly - pleasantly surprised. This is a true zoom - no focus changes are needed as one proceeds to dial through the click stop indicators from 3mm to 6mm and back. The sharpness, definition, and contrast were indeed very good. This eyepiece can be a good choice for our customers who wish to cut down the number of eyepieces they travel with, or for those who seek the convenience and compact size for eyepiece projection, etc. Company Seven will publish a review of this unprecedented eyepiece on line in the near future - be sure to look for it!
And aside from now absolutely being among the best corrected 4" Apochromatic telescopes, the new NP 101 features a length of only 29 inches - with 2" Diagonal in place! This means that one will be able to remove the diagonal, and pack the telescope into a case so compact that the lightweight 11 lb. telescope can be carried on as luggage onto a commercial aircraft. And while the TeleVue Gibraltar alt-azimuth mount seems to be the first choice of most of our 4" Apo telescope customers, we offer a variety of less costly and lighter weight German equatorial mounts that can manage the weight and torque of this new telescope. The new telescope focuser is the first TeleVue model to incorporate the new non-marring clamp hardware, as does the new TeleVue "Everbrite" diagonal, and the TeleVue 2" to 1.25" reducer. This hardware is available for sale for use with other telescopes, and is now standard on the TeleVue 85, and TeleVue 102 telescopes too. Company Seven will make special arrangements for prior customers who now wish to trade in their older TeleVue accessories to buy the new hardware. And one last special note: the first telescope telescope is Serial No. 1001 - the first production model, signed at rear of OTA "Marty's lens, Al" by Al Nagler. This NP101 is now a permanent part of Company Seven's "Martin C. Cohen Memorial Telescope Museum" collection showroom display!
The specifications of the new telescope will be somewhat similar to the most recent telescopes: 101mm aperture, a four element, ultra-flat field, 540mm f5.4 system. It is expected to offer improvements over the prior model in two areas:
The new telescope pricing has not yet been set, but TeleVue informs us that it will be "significantly more expensive than the TeleVue 101". Production will be expanded to make the telescope more readily available. And the telescope will be on display in our showroom when the first deliveries begin.
New 9mm, 7mm, 5mm Nagler Type 6:
The new 7 element Type 6 Nagler employs a new design, coatings process, and takes advantage of the newer optical glasses. Al Nagler has refined the design to provide improved eye relief (over the predecessors) of about 12mm on each model. And each is about the same compact size as the original 7mm Nagler with a weight of about 0.5 lbs. The expected selling price will be about $280 each. The new 9mm Nagler Type 6 will be in stock in May or June 2001. While the 7mm and 5mm will follow later in the Summer of 2001.
(10715) Nagler = 1983 RL4
(11823) Christen = 1981 VF Where are these asteroids? This information was provided by Brian Skiff:
Ephemerides for these objects can be obtained using either the Lowell or MPC
Web sites: Positions as of February 16, 2000 (10715) Nagler is presently about magnitude 18.5 in Aquila, just coming up in the pre-dawn sky. It is in the Maria family of asteroids, with semi major axis near 2.6 AU, eccentricity of 0.27, and inclination of 17.5 degrees. (11823) Christen is similarly faint and close to the Sun at the moment, but low in the west in Aries at dusk. Although it is not a member of a well-defined dynamical family, it's semi major axis is about 2.4 AU, eccentricity is 0.25 and inclination is 4.9 degrees. Brian commented in a recent posting: "It is appropriate to their namesakes that both objects are somewhat eccentric."
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