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Telescope Designer and Astronomer John Dobson, 1915-2014

Posted by timothy on from the now-he-gets-the-whole-sky dept.

As noted by Sky & Telescope, SpaceWatchtower, and many other sources, astronomer and telescope innovator John Dobson died yesterday in Burbank, California, at the age of 98. He's famous as an inspiration for others to explore astronomy, in part through the San Francisco Sidewalk Astronomers, which he co-founded in 1967, and as designer of the telescope variety which bears his name.

9 of 57 comments (clear)

  1. my dad by buswolley · · Score: 5, Interesting

    built a Dobson telescope when I was a kid. Many memorable nights in the back yard with that Dobson.. RIP

    --

    A Good Troll is better than a Bad Human.

    1. Re:my dad by jomama717 · · Score: 5, Interesting

      That's great. It's amazing the level of interest that people express when they are presented the opportunity to view these things with no effort or cost associated.

      When the Venus transit happened I set up my little orion in the driveway and projected the image onto a sheet of paper and within 10 or 15 minutes a mob of people from my neighborhood (most of whom I'd never met) had gathered around - parents on walks with their kids, dogs, or out jogging, what have you - it was great. They were all talking about it, asking questions about it, generally marveling at the image.

      The best part was explaining it to the kids - I would explain what was happening, they would turn to the image again, and a few seconds later you could see on their faces the realization of the scope of what they were witnessing. It was really great. I can see why he did it.

      --
      while [ 1 ]; do echo -n -e "\xe2\x95\xb$((($RANDOM&1)+1))"; done
  2. Still using my homebuilt Dob by hodet · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I built an 8in Dob back in 2004 using the plans from the San Fransisco Sidewalk Astronomers. You can stargaze with others using fancy electronic scopes but the interest always turns to the homemade one. A worthwhile project for anyone who enjoys astronomy.

  3. While my Meade Lightbridge gently weeps... by east+coast · · Score: 5, Interesting

    It's good to see the recognition for a guy who helped make it a bit more affordable for backyard stargazers to get into a serious scope without selling a kidney.

    My astronomy group hosted John a few years back for a lecture, sadly I didn't make it but he did stay at a member's house for a few days while on his tour. The guy who hosted John still has an 8 inch dob that is signed by John Dobson. It's always neat when he brings it out to the star parties. Also, a few members have engaged in sidewalk astronomy over the last few years. I think this is another tip of the hat to John Dobson who was still doing his sidewalk work until at least mid 2013.

    --
    Dedicated Cthulhu Cultist since 4523 BC.
  4. The Ford of telescopes by SpankiMonki · · Score: 5, Interesting

    We need more guys like Dobson. RIP.

  5. Gave true meaning to expanding the mind by voxelman · · Score: 5, Insightful

    John's simple but effective methods for building large aperture telescopes opened the sky to a whole new audience.

  6. R.I.P., John by nani+popoki · · Score: 5, Interesting

    It's a sad day. He did so much to advance the art of telescope making and to make the night sky accessible to everyone.

    Perhaps a fitting memorial would be a national "dark skies" law, so that we all can have a night sky worth looking up for.

  7. The best telescope ever designed. by Lumpy · · Score: 5, Informative

    Because they were cheap for the size. you can get an 8 inch or larger scope that will let you split the rings of Saturn for 1/2 the price of a lesser scope that still only shows you blobs.

    And they are insanely easy to maintain.

    RIP for the man who made decent astronomy available to the poor man.

    --
    Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
  8. Traveling with John by MojoSF · · Score: 5, Interesting

    In the late '90s I met Jane Houston, who assisted John in his telescope making classes at the California Academy of Sciences. Her garage was full of mirror blanks, grit sorted into particle sizes, and pine-tar pitch for making pitch laps. I married her in 2000. (Yesterday John passed away on our 14th wedding anniversay.)

    Over the next few years, we would often get a call from John at his home in San Francisco, and he would say "It's clear out! Should I finish my dinner?" That was our cue to load the van, pick up John, and take him to either 9th & Geary, or 24th & Noe, and spend the evening doing sidewalk astronomy. We would often have three or four hundred "accidental astronomers" participate in what we call "urban guerrilla astronomy."

    During the summers, we took at least three excursions with John to the Grand Canyon Star Party. There's not much in life to compare with spending eight or ten hours on the road with John. He would make the most interesting observations of the landscape around him, or sometimes just launch into a new puzzle for us. You could always count on something interesting from John when he would say, "Okay now I have to tell you a story ..."

    His views of cosmology were certainly unorthodox, but they were based on a solid foundation and understanding of the physics, chemistry, and math involved. I didn't always agree with his views, but he never failed to give me a fresh perspective on physics and cosmology. He was a fan of Fred Hoyle and Halton Arp, a champion of the steady-state universe. You would often see him in a sweat-shirt that says "The Big Bang is a Thing of the Past," or a button saying "Nothing Doesn't Exist."

    One of my favorite John quotes: "Anything that happens is natural. A battleship is just as natural as a pine tree."

    And one last John story: We were on our way to the Bryce Canyon Star Party, and passed one of Utah's famous rock shops. He glanced out the window and said, "Oh look! Pieces of planet!" Yes, we spent an hour or so shopping there.