I will always remember my excitement on that late Friday evening, walking in Science Hobbies and purchasing a 4.25-inch Edmund EQ reflector. I really wanted the 6-inch f/8 Super Space Conqueror, but I’d just began my first serious job and money was a bit tight. I’d been looking at telescopes in those little Edmund Scientific catalogs for the longest time.
Science Hobbies was a small family owned hobby store that sold products mostly from Edmund Scientific. For many years they had a big 8-inch Edmund f/6 Newtonian Reflector on a massive equatorial mount sitting in the front window.
Throughout the years, I always enjoyed going to Science Hobbies. It was fun to be able to see and feel many of the products from Edmund. Other than my telescope, I bought a few eyepieces, a pedestal mounted eyepiece holder, books and too many other astronomy related products to list.
My last trip to Science Hobbies:
It was a Saturday afternoon in the mid-90’s, when I decided to visit Science Hobbies, which I’d done so many times before. I got out of the car and went to the front door only to find it locked, and the store was empty. Somehow, I had missed not seeing the rusty sign that hung over the door for so many years and the large 8-inch Newtonian, was not in the front window. The store had closed, and at that moment, a bit of sadness came over me. This would be my last visit to the location that was the former…Science Hobbies.
Now to Scope City in Las Vegas:
When visiting family in Las Vegas on at least a couple trips, one in 2008 and then again in December 2010, I visited the Las Vegas Scope City store. However, I was sorry I didn’t purchase an 11mm Explore Scientific 82º eyepiece while being in the store. When I got home I called back, and placed an order over the phone for the eyepiece. So, to-date, this has been my last eyepiece purchase. I also purchased some very nice engraved 6-inch aluminum setting circles from Scope City, which was the only company that still sold them.
I had always enjoyed seeing the Scope City advertisements in the magazines, showing those big Parks Optical Newtonian’s with massive equatorial mounts.
It was great to be able to visit the Scope City Store, but unfortunately, not very long after my last visit and purchase, Scope City also went out of business.
I have often wondered what happened to the 8-inch Parks Optical Newtonian, on a very heavy duty equatorial mount that was sitting in a corner of the Las Vegas store.
My first telescope was purchased from Science Hobbies in Charlotte, or a retail (brick and mortar) store and later went out of business. And my last eyepiece (to-date) purchase was from a brick and mortar store, being Scope City in Las Vegas, also later to go out of business.
After the demise of Cave Optical in Long Beach, it was Parks Optical that took their place with large equatorial Newtonian reflectors, on a large scale production basis.
Science Hobbies, Scope City, Cave and Parks Optical are all missed, especially by those like myself that have been serious students of amateur astronomy for 40 or more years.
My first telescope purchased from Science Hobbies in Charlotte: A 4.25-inch f/10 reflector which I purchased in March 1977. The following photo was made in a rented hours: An old (built in 1927) mill village house which was incredibly cold during the winters.
My first observation using this telescope was Jupiter from the side yard from that house. And It was using this telescope during the fall of that year from the light polluted backyard that I first observed galaxies M81/82. This was a defining moment for me, as in my mind on that night…I became a real amateur astronomer.
I purchased the following books from Science Hobbies, that taught me so much about amateur astronomy.
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