This website is devoted to the my travels through the
universe. Most of the drawings were done from suburban
skies in Central Maryland with a 155mm refractor or smaller
telescope. In part, the reason for this website is to show
what can be seen visually from a moderate light-polluted
location with a modest-sized telescope. It is my hope to
persuade others to join me in enjoying the night sky even
when unable to travel to pristine skies.
I have been an amateur astronomer since the mid-1960s. I
have used several telescopes over the years and currently
own 7 telescopes and 2 binoculars as outlined below:
Contact information:
Richard Orr
5215 Durham Road East
Columbia, Maryland 21044
Email: Odonata457@comcast.net
Richard Orr's Astronomy Drawings
1) 60mm, f15, achromatic, Monolux Refractor (#4380) -- this was my first telescope
(early 1960s) and I have never been able to part with it. I currently have it mounted on
my 155mm Refractor.
2) 155mm, f7, apochromatic-triplet, Astrophysics Starfire Refractor -- this is the
telescope I usually use from the deck of my house in suburban Maryland. This is my
most used telescope.
3) 110mm, f7, apochromatic-triplet, William Optics FluroStar Refractor -- I use this
telescope usually when I spend a few hours with the local astronomy club at our
nearby semi-dark sites at Alpha Ridge Park and Carrs Mills Park.
4) 85mm, f6.6, apochromatic-triplet, Orion Eon ED-X2 Refractor -- this is my
airline/travel telescope or when I need a rich-field telescope.
5) 457.2mm f4.5 Dobsonian by Obsession -- this is my dark-sky star-party telescope
or the one I use when I wish to go deep into the cosmos.
6) 100mm Hydrogen-alpha telescope by Lunt (DSII/100T) -- used for exploring the
chromosphere of the sun.
7) Questar 3.5-inch (89mm) Maksutov Cassegrain Catadioptic -- this historical pretty
little scope is displayed in my office and only rarely used any more for observing.
8) Zeiss Dialyt 10 x 42 B binoculars -- used for wide field views (8+ degrees) of the sky.
9) Orion 25 x 100 binoculars -- used for general binocular observing. I use these when
I run the Messier Marathon.