Anyone who is old enough to remember the 1986 visitation by Haley's Comet might also recall the telescope industry's rush to produce as many scopes as possible to make the event that much more exciting and accessible to the public. For some manufacturers this meant rushing production on some highly regarded models of telescopes. Reputations suffered as a result of poor quality control, and many experienced and aspiring amateur astronomers were left disgruntled. But for Celestron, their 5-5" Comet Catcher RFT was a hit and to this day it is remembered fondly by those who purchased or looked through one. The old Comet Catchers are a thing of the past now and its not easy to find one in the wild, but Scope Freaks recently acquired this gem of a scope and we're happy to offer it to the collector or first time scope buyer.
We were pleasantly surprised to discover how well cared for this scope was. Scopes this old and rare are not often found, especially in this condition. We took it out for a test run the day we found it and were astounded at the crisp and bright imagery. We focused on the moon and some bright stars, as well as the famous globular cluster M13 in Hercules. The moon really blew us away. The view was as good as any refractor we've tried out recently.
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| Early 1980s Comet Catcher Ad |
Apart from its great optics and reputation, the Comet Catcher is highly portable, light and easy to set up. The adjustable tripod appears to be of solid aluminum build. There was no accessory tray included with this one but those can be readily had at just about any scope dealer. We found that manual slewing was simple and smooth. There is some slight looseness in the focus knob but ultimately we were able to focus on all targeted objects. Both mirrors are in great condition encased behind the glass affixed to the front of the tube. We managed to locate a downloadable manual as well.
Some additional info and images:
Aperture: 140mm (5.5")
f Ratio: f/3.6
Focal Length: 500mm
Finder: 6x30mm
We're making this nifty little piece of telescope history available for only $300 + shipping in CONUS. We'll waive PayPal fees and accept cash and money order payments as well. As an added bonus we are including a 10mm plossl with this scope as well as the reprinted manual. We also welcome local pick-up in the Los Angeles area or offer delivery within 40 miles of the San Gabriel Valley.
Interested? Contact scopefreaks(at)gmail.com
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