Collectors Dream-Cave Telescopes
March 18, 2008
Having got the basic knowledge of the use and making of a telescope you have come to know that it is one the most important thing that an amateur or for that matter a professional needs if he or she has to view the night skies. People today be it for their hobby or for their own work make use of the various types of telescopes that are available today but then there are some specialized brands of telescopes that are fast becoming valuable collector’s items. One such brand of telescopes is the Cave telescopes.
Now what is a Cave Telescope?
Well it is a brand name given to the telescope and this company or brand named company was founded by Thomas Cave in the early 50’s and Thomas Cave was the head of his telescope company the Cave Optical Company until he passed away in 1957. After his death his son Thomas Cave Jr operated the company and finally in 1980 the company closed down. Cave Optical Company had its base in Long Beach, California and was one of the few companies, which specialized in manufacturing telescopes. When people sought the performance of a telescope they went in for the Cave Telescope because the company was one that guaranteed performance. The company produced thousands of high quality telescopes for advanced amateurs, professionals and for universities in the early 50’s and continued to satisfy people all through the 60’s and 70’s.
Cave Telescopes encompassed a huge range of sizes from 6” model in student and deluxe up to massive 18 ½ inch observatory scopes. They also made a large range of styles but then they specialized in long focal length Newtonian reflector telescopes and every telescope included the best possible optics that was available during that time period. And because of this top quality optics they still work perfectly even today and are becoming a treasured collector’s item amongst telescope enthusiasts. These Cave telescopes came with extra large mounts to ensure perfect stability of the scope and to provide comfort for the observer when they were being used for long periods of time. But because of the large base these telescopes were heavy and made them less portable unlike today’s light weighted and portable modern style
Astrola:
Mr. Cave’s Company not only specialized in Cave Telescopes, they also specialized in a wide range of optical mirrors known by the brand name “Astrola” These Astrola mirrors when first manufactured were hand shaped and each and every one of them were polished to perfection. These Astrola mirrors went out of production when the company closed down in 1980. But an ex employee of the company bought the “Astrola” brand name from Thomas Cave Jr in the year 1999 and has now started mass production of these fine mirrors again.
A few words about the Cave Telescope:
Even though the Cave Optical Telescope Company has shut. Today after 27 years this Cave Telescope is still known for its top quality reputation and has become a collector’s item today not only for the telescope enthusiasts but even for astronomy clubs. Today these Cave Telescopes are sold to private collectors through astronomy clubs and what with the Internet it is even sold off on eBay. But before you buy a telescope I would recommend that you have a good look at the telescope be it of any brand, assess its quality and make sure that it is a genuine one.
Summary:
Cave Telescope gave the telescope enthusiasts a satisfaction for the telescope they bought because every telescope included the best possible optics that was available and though it was heavy it saw to the comforts of the enthusiasts who spent long periods of time gazing at the skies. And today even after 27 years of the company shutting down these Cave Telescopes are fondly remembered for their high quality performance and are now becoming collector’s items.
Got something to say?
