Astronomy is one of the oldest sciences that human-kind has developed. Although astronomical observations started with the ancients, the science really came into its own after the perfection of a workable telescope in 1608. By the end of the 17th century, telescopes and astronomy made it to the ‘New World’, including the Philadelphia region. This presentation will lead you on a trail of discovery from the colonial period, through the flowering of 19th century astronomy, and into the 20th century era of ‘big science’. This historical perspective is non-technical and aimed at a general public audience.
About the Speaker: Bart Fried, B.S., L. Arch., is the founder and past President of the Antique Telescope Society, as well as moderator of the ATS Forum. He is the recipient of the ATS Isaac Newton Medal for meritorious service to the Society. As a recognized authority on the history of the telescope, he has lectured for several decades around the U.S., the U.K., Ireland and Canada. His field of concentrated research is the life and work of Dr. John Alfred Brashear. Over 30 published articles can be found in Sky & Telescope magazine; the Journal of the Antique Telescope Society; Eyepiece newsletter of the Amateur Astronomers Association and other journals and publications. Bart is also the Executive Vice-President of Amateur Astronomers Association, Inc, the largest individual astronomical association in the U.S. with ~600 members. Bart is an avid observational astronomer, and in his meager spare time Bart enjoys skiing, biking, scuba diving and telescope history research. He is now retired from a lifetime of working in industry.
Admission is Pay as You Wish! Your donation is greatly appreciated. All proceeds benefit the development of future programming and the preservation of the History Center and its collections. The History Center is home to over 750,000 manuscripts, 100,000 photographs, and 70,000 artifacts. Your donation helps us to preserve and share those resources. Register Here
Presentation is via Zoom, and will be recorded and available for 7 days for all registered participants. We will email out a Zoom link the day of the presentation, and email a link to the recording within 48 hours. Note: the Zoom link emailed out the day of the presentation only takes you to the live presentation; the link emailed out the day after will contain the recorded version.
This presentation is made possible by the generous support of the CCHC Special Fund in honor of botanist and amateur astronomer Humphry Marshall.
225 N. High Street, West Chester, PA 19380 | 610-692-4800
Sign up for our Newsletter
