Living History Project

The Living History Project is a branch of Focus that is dedicated to preserving astronomical equipment of the past. The goal is to allow others to view the universe through vintage and antique equipment. The appreciation of the past gives a better sense of the future. These telescopes have made their way to us, each one inspected and documented. Some continue as active telescopes in our collection while others have found new homes to continue to be appreciated for years to come.

FH-001: Unitron 1960s 4" f/15 refractor

This is our original vintage telescope that started our Living History Project. Unitron produced telescopes from the 1950s to around the 1980s, the parent company Nihon Seiko Kenkyusho, Ltd. made telescopes under various names including Unitron.

Our 4" Unitron is roughly dates back to the 1960s era, the telescope shows some ware and tear but we have done our best to clean it up. The lens itself is excellent and produces beautiful images. We have added various accessories and 3D printed parts to allow the telescope to be function for viewing again.

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FH-002: Alvan Clark 1880 4" refractor

Alvan Clark & Sons produced some of the most historic telescopes of the era including the 24" Clark of Lowell Observatory, 36" Lick refractor and the worlds largest, the 40" Great Refractor of Yerkes observatory. The company produced telescopes from the mid 1800s to the early 1900s.

Our 4" Clark was built in 1880, one of three 4" models produced that year. The telescope came with the original prism diagonal and four eyepieces. The lens produces excellent images and can be used with its original accessories as well as modern 1.25" accessories.

FH-003: E.Vion 72mm refractor

We do not have much info on this telescopes at the current time.

The telescope came to use from a local friend, the optics are clean and likely figured to around f/15. The telescope uses a internal focuser and is not compatible with any diagonals. We currently have two of its original eyepieces, a terrestrial eyepiece and the original storage case.

The telescope is currently being tested and we are digging to find more information on it's history.

FH-004: Coming Soon

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FH-005: Coming Soon

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