The history of amateur astronomy and the evolution of amateur telescopes in the US is really a history of the technological growth of the country itself.
After World War II, when so many men and women left the service of their country (both military and in the civilian war occupations) they settled down and among other pursuits, the hobby of amateur astronomy took off.
At first, this interest was fed by war surplus binoculars and small telescopes from companies like Edmund Salvage Co., A. Jaegers and Harry Ross Co. At the time there were few firms that made finished instruments for astronomy. A couple of companies like Tinsley, C.C. Young, Criterion Co. and Skyscope had small, finished telescopes but that was pretty much it. So, amateurs of the day largely had to use the surplus materials to fabricate their own telescopes.
As the hobby became more popular companies like Criterion came out with affordable and surprisingly high performing telescopes like the Dynascope. And soon the hobby saw Celestron debut products in the 60s and Meade in the 70s and the era of incredible innovation in amateur astronomy took off and evolved into the wide range of products we have access to today.
In his video, “The 10 Amateur Telescopes That Changed Astronomy”, amateur astronomer and telescope reviewer Ed Ting walks through the telescopes that had an important impact on the direction of amateur astronomy. You can see the full video below.
And if you want to dig deeper on telescope history and how the invention of the telescope at the dawn of the 17th century has revolutionized humanity’s understanding of the universe and our place within it, you can check out “Chronicling the Golden Age of Astronomy” by Dr. Neil English. In the book, offered by Springer Publishing, he traces the development of the telescope over four centuries, as well as the many personalities who used it to uncover brand-new revelations about the Sun, Moon, planets, stars and distant galaxies. You can learn more about the book here.
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