# What was that heavily advertised telescope in the 70's & 80's called? It was short with a round base **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 20, 2015, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-that-heavily-advertised-telescope-in-the-70s-80s-called-it-was-short-with-a-round-base/740891 "2015-12-20T02:02:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2015, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-that-heavily-advertised-telescope-in-the-70s-80s-called-it-was-short-with-a-round-base/740891/1 "2015-12-20T02:02:47Z")
It was in Sharper Image and other popular science oriented magazines. It was quite short and had a bulbous base that I assume rested in some holder. It was advertised all over the place as some kind of breakthrough design. IIRC they used the word “Newtonian” to describe it. It wasn’t all that cheap I think it was $300 - $500 IIRC. What was it called? ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2015, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-that-heavily-advertised-telescope-in-the-70s-80s-called-it-was-short-with-a-round-base/740891/2 "2015-12-20T02:15:03Z")
Celestron, by any chance? ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2015, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-that-heavily-advertised-telescope-in-the-70s-80s-called-it-was-short-with-a-round-base/740891/3 "2015-12-20T02:18:27Z")
Your mention of a “bulbous base” makes me think of the Edmund Scientific Astroscan telescope, which looks like a sphere attached to a cylinder. [This ad](http://www.ebay.com/itm/1977-Edmund-Scientific-Newtonian-2001n-red-Telescope-vintage-print-Ad-/361440246498?hash=item5427847ae2:g:xc0AAOSw0vBUfidi) describes it, or a similar looking telescope, as Newtonian. I found sites where it’s praised as a piece of modern design. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2015, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-that-heavily-advertised-telescope-in-the-70s-80s-called-it-was-short-with-a-round-base/740891/4 "2015-12-20T02:18:58Z")
Was it an [Astroscan](http://cdn.toptenreviews.com/rev/scrn/large/48969-astroscan-plus2.jpg)? eta: Rats! Ninja’ed by \*that \*much! ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2015, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-that-heavily-advertised-telescope-in-the-70s-80s-called-it-was-short-with-a-round-base/740891/5 "2015-12-20T02:37:21Z")
That’s it thanks! I never noticed another like it. Did the design not work out? ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Pig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c57346/32.png) [@Little\_Pig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Pig)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2015, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-that-heavily-advertised-telescope-in-the-70s-80s-called-it-was-short-with-a-round-base/740891/6 "2015-12-20T03:22:03Z")
> [@astro](#): > > That’s it thanks! I never noticed another like it. Did the design not work out? Not sure about the design but _I DID_ bang [the model.](http://cdn.toptenreviews.com/rev/scrn/large/48969-astroscan-plus2.jpg)And yes, I did see stars… Her name was Amanda. We were in the same philosophy class. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2015, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-that-heavily-advertised-telescope-in-the-70s-80s-called-it-was-short-with-a-round-base/740891/7 "2015-12-20T03:55:11Z")
> [@astro](#): > > That’s it thanks! I never noticed another like it. Did the design not work out? I have one. It’s a nice, inexpensive scope, but it’s not suitable for serious viewing, because it can’t be clock-driven or tracked. The scope i (and everyone) wanted was the [Questar](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Questar_Corporation), which made Celestron look like a toy. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2015, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-that-heavily-advertised-telescope-in-the-70s-80s-called-it-was-short-with-a-round-base/740891/8 "2015-12-20T18:33:56Z")
I think that it’s just that the Astroscan managed to very nicely fill its niche, of easy-to-use starter scope, so there wasn’t any room for direct competitors. It looks like they’re still around. ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2015, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-that-heavily-advertised-telescope-in-the-70s-80s-called-it-was-short-with-a-round-base/740891/9 "2015-12-20T20:22:09Z")
> [@beowulff](#): > > I have one. > It’s a nice, inexpensive scope, but it’s not suitable for serious viewing, because it can’t be clock-driven or tracked. Agreed. We’ve gotten a lot of use and enjoyment out of ours, it’s very good for what it does, but even at our amateur level of expertise we quickly butt up against the scope’s limitations.