Goto Mark X 80mm Classic Telescope

This classic telescope is the Goto MX-57B 80mm f/12.5 semi-APO. This telescope is one of several 80mm telescopes produced by Goto starting in about 1976. At that time Goto was responding to the competitive onslaught of fine telescopes being offered by Takahashi in the early 1970’s. Goto produced the superlative Mark-X mount and had a plethora of telescopes from 65mm to 125mm to mate with it. The flagship of all amateur telescope lines at the time was the 80mm refractor. Goto went overboard on these and made a bewildering variety from achromats to semi-apochromats to full apochromats in f/8.25, f/12.5 and f/15 versions. Goto made doublet semi-apochromats, triplet standard apochromats, fluorite apochromats, doublet super-apochromats and ED apochromats. There are many complexities in the various lens designs using standard crown and flint glass, special Kurz flint, ED glass and fluorite lens elements.
I have made no attempt in this video to be exhaustive in detailing these offerings from Goto. Instead, I present an overview and hope to provide a little perspective. But the situation is really very simple. Goto was throwing everything they had into the competition with Takahashi. Unfortunately, this would prove to be Goto’s last gasp with amateur telescopes. When Takahashi offered the TS-90 in about 1978 with an additional 10mm of aperture and a fluorite objective it was a devastating blow to Goto. In the mid 1980’s the founder of Goto retired, the government support for school telescopes ended and the Goto corporation abandoned amateur telescope sales while continuing in the planetarium business. Though Goto apparently lost the battle with Takahashi, they left the market with a dramatic flourish of some very fine instruments! This is one of those wonderful telescopes.
My thanks to Don Chatfield and Stew Squires for their help and advice on this video!
If you are interested in the history of Goto Kogaku you will want read Don’s fine research paper dealing with the Mark X revolution: www.cloudynigh...
Don delivers much additional information about the Mark-X mount: www.cloudynigh...
Other videos in the Mark-X series:
Goto Mark-X 65mm: • Goto Mark X 65mm Class...
Goto Mark-X 125mm: • Goto Kogaku Mark X 125mm
Goto Mark-X Portable Photographic Mount: • Goto Mark X Portable P...
Modular Telescope Mounts: • Modular Telescope Mounts
Goto Mark-X Modifications: • Goto Mark X Modifications
Other Goto Kogaku telescopes:
Eros 60mm on Single-Axis mount: • Goto Kogaku Eros teles...
Goto Kogaku 80mm Classic scope • "GOTO Kogaku" 80mm Tel...
Goto Kogaku Satellite scopes: • Goto Kogaku Satellite ...
Goto ST6 Model 2: • Goto ST 6 model 2
Goto Hyscore Model 454: • Goto Hyscore Model 454
Goto Crawford Mount: • Goto Crawford Mount
Goto Kogaku 60mm Mount: • Goto Kogaku 60mm altaz...
Goto Kogaku Model 106 Mount: • Goto Kogaku Model 106 ...
Goto Kogaku Model 105: • Goto Kogaku Model 105 ...
Goto Kogaku Zeus 55mm Telescope: • Goto Kogaku Zeus 55mm ...