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Sidewalk astronomy or street corner astronomyLatimer J. Wilson, Adventures in Street Corner Astronomy, Popular Science Mar 1921
/ref> refers to the activity of setting up a
/ref> Sidewalk astronomers and their telescopes have been a common sight in most big cities. There are many examples in the past such as Frank Manning in as early as 1930 and Mr Grosser in
With the advent and growth of organized amateur astronomical groups, sidewalk astronomy has come to be associated with public education about astronomy via free public viewing for anyone who wishes to look through the telescope. This usually involves individual or a groups of amateur astronomers with small-to-medium-sized telescopes. Organizations such as the San Francisco Sidewalk Astronomers, founded by John Dobson, are organized around the idea of educating people about the universe they live in by having them look through telescopes. Dobson even promoted a design for large inexpensive
Smithsonian article
Adventures in Street Corner Astronomy, Popular Science Mar 1921
{{Astronomy navbox Amateur astronomy
Sidewalk astronomy or street corner astronomyLatimer J. Wilson, Adventures in Street Corner Astronomy, Popular Science Mar 1921/ref> refers to the activity of setting up a
telescope
A telescope is a device used to observe distant objects by their emission, absorption, or reflection of electromagnetic radiation. Originally meaning only an optical instrument using lenses, curved mirrors, or a combination of both to observ ...
in an urban place on a for-profit or non-profit basis as entertainment
Entertainment is a form of activity that holds the attention and interest of an audience or gives pleasure and delight. It can be an idea or a task, but is more likely to be one of the activities or events that have developed over thousa ...
and/or for public education.
Overview
Examples of people setting up telescopes on urban streets for public astronomical viewing go back well into the 19th century and maybe even further. Theatrical management in the West and South for thirty years By Solomon Smith, Sinclair Hamilton Collection of American Illustrated Books before 1868 – mention for pay"> Theatrical management in the West and South for thirty years By Solomon Smith, Sinclair Hamilton Collection of American Illustrated Books before 1868 – mention for pay/ref> Sidewalk astronomers and their telescopes have been a common sight in most big cities. There are many examples in the past such as Frank Manning in as early as 1930 and Mr Grosser in
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...
in the 1870s, who not only set up a telescope but also an illuminated microscope. Some sidewalk "pitch men" charged the public to view astronomical objects through their telescope but other astronomers allow people to view for free. In more recent years sidewalk astronomy has come to be more associated with altruistic
Altruism is the principle and moral practice of concern for the welfare and/or happiness of other human beings or animals, resulting in a quality of life both material and spiritual. It is a traditional virtue in many cultures and a core asp ...
individuals or groups offering views of the nighttime sky as a free public educational service."
Because the sidewalks tend to be in light-polluted areas, sidewalk astronomers often coordinate their activities at times when brighter celestial objects like planets, the Moon, and bright stars are visible. During the day, sidewalk astronomy often includes use of a solar filter on the telescope to allow people to view the Sun. Telescopes are often larger than the average available "department store telescope", sometimes very large.
Amateur astronomical activities
With the advent and growth of organized amateur astronomical groups, sidewalk astronomy has come to be associated with public education about astronomy via free public viewing for anyone who wishes to look through the telescope. This usually involves individual or a groups of amateur astronomers with small-to-medium-sized telescopes. Organizations such as the San Francisco Sidewalk Astronomers, founded by John Dobson, are organized around the idea of educating people about the universe they live in by having them look through telescopes. Dobson even promoted a design for large inexpensive reflecting telescope
A reflecting telescope (also called a reflector) is a telescope that uses a single or a combination of curved mirrors that reflect light and form an image. The reflecting telescope was invented in the 17th century by Isaac Newton as an alternati ...
that he called a "Sidewalk Telescope", more commonly referred to as the Dobsonian telescope
A Dobsonian telescope is an altazimuth-mounted Newtonian telescope design popularized by John Dobson in 1965 and credited with vastly increasing the size of telescopes available to amateur astronomers. Dobson's telescopes featured a simplified ...
.
See also
* Amateur astronomy * Citizen science *Star party
A star party is a gathering of amateur astronomers the purpose of observing objects and events in the sky. Local star parties may be one-night affairs, but larger events can last a week or longer and attract hundreds or even thousands of partic ...
* ''A Sidewalk Astronomer
''A Sidewalk Astronomer'' is a 2005 documentary film about former Vedanta monk and amateur astronomer John Dobson. The film follows Dobson to state parks, astronomy clubs, and downtown streets as he promotes awareness of astronomy through his own ...
'', a documentary about John Dobson's activities, including sidewalk astronomy
References
Smithsonian article
External links
{{Astronomy navbox Amateur astronomy