Beginner's Corner
February, 1940

NO THRILL an advanced amateur telescope maker is likely ever to receive will out-thrill the one felt by the novice who, after slaving over his first mirror and perhaps wondering all along whether his really will perform adequately, as others do, discovers the usual success. Anthony Minski 36 Chadwick St., Paterson, N. J., describes this thrill in a spontaneous letter mailed immediately after such a first preliminary try-out: "After many trials and tribulations I have at last finished my 6" mirror. I placed the glass, still unsilvered, in its tube and with no little trepidation prepared for the worst. I focused on the Sun and, as I did, the orb became more and more distinct; till at last it stood in all its glory, a clean-cut disk. The sunspots stood out sharply. And then, when it grew dark, I focused on Jupiter, which showed with its tiny satellites in astonishing clarity. Saturn, too, focused beautifully. Then I viewed various stars and these stood out as brilliant points of light, the fainter stars tiny pinpoints in the background. Orion's nebula showed without blur or haze." This man must have fallen asleep that night with a happy smile on his face! One place and another, it happens ten times a night as first telescopes are given first try-outs: this eager anticipation, these dark misgivings, the final jubilation.

BOYS seldom tackle telescope making, and more seldom stick till the finish-it's not juvenile work and it requires more patience than most youngsters possess. Now and then, however, we receive a photograph like the one in these columns, usually from a lad of better-than-average gumption. Rudolf Kohlmeister, 1709 Taraval St., San Francisco, Calif., is the maker of this 6" Newtonian reflector and he writes: "I was 11 when I started it and it took me from Oct. 13, to June 15," Well, Rudolf that is approximately eight months, but we know of instances in which grown men have failed to finish their telescope after eight years, though eight weeks is about average for a man. "The tube," Kohlmeister continues, "is of heavy cardboard wrapped in canvas. The rest is iron scraps and pipe. Grinding and polishing required 54-1/2 hours." A boy of 11 who sticks to anything as long as 54-1/2 hours is likely to get somewhere some day. Your scribe recalls a youngster who similarly stuck, made his telescopes, went through high school and college, and is now a professional astronomer. That was John W. Evans, of Mills College, Oakland, California.