Telescope Spec Library

Help Us Document
Every Telescope
Ever Made

We're building an open reference database of telescope models — every manufacturer, every era, from a 1950s Unitron to today's Celestron EdgeHD. Real specs. The data that actually matters when you're researching, buying, or understanding the hobby's history.

The gaps are biggest for discontinued and vintage gear. That's where the community comes in.

70+ yrs
of production history to cover
~3 min
to submit one scope
100%
open & community credited

Why This Exists

The Reference We Should
Have Had 20 Years Ago

If you've ever tried to look up specs for a scope on the classifieds — a Parks refractor, an early Meade orange-tube, a Criterion RV-6 — you know the problem. The data is scattered across expired websites, magazine archives, and forum posts. We're fixing that.

🔭

Buying Decisions

Know exactly what you're looking at on Astromart or eBay. Aperture, focal ratio, optical design, mount type — all verified before you bid.

📐

Restoration & Repair

LSO already operates telescope.repair. Accurate specs are essential for anyone restoring classic gear — and they're often the hardest thing to find.

📚

Hobby History

The manufacturers that shaped modern amateur astronomy — Unitron, Criterion, Edmund, Parks, Cave — deserve better documentation than what exists today.

What We're Collecting

The Fields
That Matter

You don't need all of them — even partial data helps. Submit what you have and we'll fill in the gaps from other sources.

Especially needed: Vintage US Market

The gaps are biggest for pre-2000 and discontinued gear. If you've owned, serviced, or measured one of these, your data is irreplaceable.

Unitron Criterion Edmund Parks Cave Coulter Tasco Bushnell Meade OT Celestron OT
  • Brand Required Manufacturer name — e.g. Celestron, Meade, Vixen, Takahashi
  • Model Name Required Full model name or designation — e.g. C8 Orange Tube, RV-6, 60mm Equatorial
  • Year (approx) Production year or range — e.g. 1972, or ~1968–1975
  • Aperture (mm) Clear aperture of the objective lens or primary mirror
  • Focal Length (mm) Native focal length of the optical system
  • Optical Design Refractor, Newtonian, SCT, Mak-Cass, Ritchey-Chrétien, etc.
  • Mount Type Alt-Az, EQ (German), Fork, Dobsonian, Poncet, etc.
  • Original / Resale Price (USD) Original retail price or current market value — helps date the model
  • Reference Links Any source you used — old catalog page, CN thread, manual scan, eBay listing
  • Your Email So we can credit you and follow up if we have questions

Contribute

Submit
Your Specs

Takes about 3 minutes. Fill in what you know — partial submissions are welcome. We review everything before it goes live.

1
Submit the form Fill in the fields you have data for — brand and model name are required.
2
We review & verify Every submission is cross-checked before it enters the database.
3
You get credited Your name or handle appears as the source on every entry you contribute.

Your email is used only to credit you and follow up on your submission. We won't add you to a marketing list without your consent.