When you walk through the front door of our flagship store you are immediately greeted by our telescope. Although not the modern telescope you may imagine, this RV-6 Dynascope made by Criterion has become a sort of classic from its day in terms of telescopes. First introduced at the end of the 1950’s, it quickly became the popular telescope among amateur enthusiasts in the 1960’s. 6-inches in diameter and at a price tag of $194.95, it was a great entry point into the world of astronomy. Its popularity came from the fact that it provided surprisingly accurate and precise views of the moon, stars and planets. It’s white bakelite tube, a nostalgic material many will remember form the 60’s, brass eye piece and metal legs all combine to create the classic beauty of this telescope. In fact, we get many visitors to the store who revel at the aesthetics of the telescope but question why we have it aimed at the floor rather than the sky. This telescope actually brings in the image through the large opening at the top and reflects it off a mirror mounted to the bottom end. This image is then viewed through the eyepiece located near the top, creating a scope that looks like it’s always facing the wrong way. If you’re ever in San Francisco, be sure to stop by our store and check out the telescope for yourself. Rest assured, we will have it pointing in the right direction.

Tonight we will be bringing out a telescope to view the night sky at our first star party at our flagship store in San Francisco. We will be reporting back to you on its success (we’re hoping for clear skies in the city of fog), so look for our blog next week for all the details!