This is a medium-sized telescope stored in a leather carrying case with an adjustable strap. The lid is held on with a buckle.
The telescope is cylindrical and 53cm long, and has a black leather body with black plastic end, at which there is a lens and a friction fit lens cap. At the eyepiece end there is a ridged section with a beveled edge around which there is a scale with numbers unevenly spaced. This then leads to a narrower cylindrical section which can be rotated, and then a wider section before the eyepiece, which has a black rubber rim.
Accession Number: 2019.ast.146 (DAA-0095)
Alternative Name: Naval Telescope
Plastic, Metal: Iron Alloy, Leather, Glass
On the narrow portion of the telescope tube: “4÷20x 12.5÷2.5°”
“CARL ZEISS JENA”
“Nr. 51397”
Dimensions (cm): In case: Length = 61, Diameter 7.7
This low powered telescope can be used for viewing celestial objects, such as planets. It was likely used for teaching purposes.
Very good: The telescope itself is in very good condition, with only small signs of wear around the edges and rim of the telescope where the black paint has been worn away. There is also striations-type wear around the narrower portion of the telescope, perhaps from resting against something.
The case of the telescope is intact but very worn. There are many scratches and tears, and in places the surface of the leather is missing entirely.
Associated Instruments:
Manufacturer: Carl Zeiss, Jena
Date of Manufacture: 1920s-1950s?
This object was likely moved from the David Dunlap Observatory in Richmond Hill in 2008, upon the sale of the observatory. It was stored at the Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics until 2017, when it was moved to a new storage location in McLennan Physical Laboratories.
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