# Please identify this telescope found at an Estate sale **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 15, 2021, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-identify-this-telescope-found-at-an-estate-sale/956082 "2021-12-15T02:16:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![am77494](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d2c977/32.png) [@am77494](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/am77494)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2021, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-identify-this-telescope-found-at-an-estate-sale/956082/1 "2021-12-15T02:16:45Z")
It is about 10 inches long. Has 4 legs to level it - has a spirit level too. Looks like a copper based allow construction. Spins on its axis, and has degrees marked like a protractor. Thank you > **[2-DC1-D5-A5-2500-4563-8-E16-F83-F3-AD44-A6-A hosted at ImgBB](https://ibb.co/Pxkx4g7)** > > Image 2-DC1-D5-A5-2500-4563-8-E16-F83-F3-AD44-A6-A hosted in ImgBB ---
**Author:** ![dolphinboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dolphinboy/32/330_2.png) [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2021, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-identify-this-telescope-found-at-an-estate-sale/956082/2 "2021-12-15T02:20:14Z")
Looks to me like it may be part of an old ship sextant, but that’s just a WAG. ---
**Author:** ![am77494](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d2c977/32.png) [@am77494](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/am77494)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2021, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-identify-this-telescope-found-at-an-estate-sale/956082/3 "2021-12-15T02:25:20Z")
I thought so too, especially because I got it a place close to a port. But then it would be very hard to level something in a ship, so the 4 leg screws would be useless. ---
**Author:** ![steepone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/977dab/32.png) [@steepone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steepone)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2021, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-identify-this-telescope-found-at-an-estate-sale/956082/4 "2021-12-15T02:25:41Z")
It looks to me like part of an old survey instrument ---
**Author:** ![abcdefghij](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/43a26b/32.png) [@abcdefghij](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/abcdefghij)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2021, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-identify-this-telescope-found-at-an-estate-sale/956082/5 "2021-12-15T03:04:44Z")
Yeah, it’s a surveyor’s tool. I have one like it that was my grandfather’s. [[Album] imgur.com ![](https://i.imgur.com/WDab4yh.jpeg?fb "imgur.com") ](https://imgur.com/a/bV9docS) ---
**Author:** ![Isilder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/cc9497/32.png) [@Isilder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isilder)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2021, 10:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-identify-this-telescope-found-at-an-estate-sale/956082/6 "2021-12-15T10:44:03Z")
Its called a theodolite. yeah its for surveying. ---
**Author:** ![Banksiaman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banksiaman/32/3334_2.png) [@Banksiaman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banksiaman)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2021, 11:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-identify-this-telescope-found-at-an-estate-sale/956082/7 "2021-12-15T11:09:00Z")
More likely a transit, for taking off simple height differences using a graduated staff and simple bearings. A theodolite has a more elaborate mechanism including the ability to point up and down. But even though less complex, you could still survey the Andes with it [slowly]. You can see essentially the same device on use on building sites now, although called an automatic level or dumpy level. ---
**Author:** ![am77494](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d2c977/32.png) [@am77494](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/am77494)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2021, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-identify-this-telescope-found-at-an-estate-sale/956082/8 "2021-12-15T13:18:51Z")
Thank you folks. I think the telescope has been correctly identified.