Russian 70mm Maksutov School Telescope

This scope was designed by D.D. Maksutov himself shortly after he invented the Maksutov optical scheme in the early 1940’s. It was constructed over the next couple of decades in a number of Russian factories. Apparently though it was intended to be distributed to schools it was also available to Russian individuals with relatively deep pockets. These days it would not be considered a formidable instrument with its little 70mm aperture. But in the mid 20th century it would have been highly desirable. Many Americans undertook the construction of Maksutovs as detailed in the two volumes of “Advanced Telescope Making Techniques” by Allan Macintosh. The superb performance along with the all-spherical optical design was like catnip to telescope fabricators! Today you can purchase relatively effective small Maks for less than $100 or go off the deep end and buy a Questar 3 ½ inch scope of impeccable design for several thousand dollars.

My thanks to Alexey Petsyk for the use of several of his images in this video.
Here's his website about the scope: https://star-hunter.ru/en/maksutov-te...

My video about the Questar:    • Questar Classic Telescope (remastered)