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BREAKTHROUGH: THE IDEAS THAT CHANGED THE WORLD

The Telescope
Premiere
A look at the people, Galileo to Edwin Hubble, responsible for creating the telescope.

Thank you! Would have missed this without the heads-up.

Thanks, Dave!

I was able to set our DVR to record this before it started. Thanks for the heads up!

setnes wrote: ↑Wed Apr 17, 2019 9:07 pm I was able to set our DVR to record this before it started. Thanks for the heads up!

Same, thanks!

Good show! Narrated by Patrick Stewart.

I would give the program a grade of C-. Started the program talking about stone monuments in Portugal 6,000 years ago. Too much time spent on the discovery/creation of glass. Should have started the program with the creation of the first telescopes and Galileo. No mention of George Ellery Hale the founder of Yerkes Observatory, Mt. Wilson Observatory [60-inch telescope (the first truly modern large reflecting telescope) and 100-inch Hooker telescopes]. Hale was the key figure in the creation of the 200-inch Hale Telescope. Hubble gets too much attention in the program. Milton Humason, who started as a mule drive on Mt. Wilson, did a lot of work on the 100-inch getting the spectrums of many Messier objects (Edwin Hubble - Mariner of the Nebulae, Gale E. Christianson, pages 184 - 193). Hubble did not inspire the Hubble Space Telescope. Lyman Spitzer, in 1946, was the first person to propose the idea of placing a large telescope in space and was the driving force behind the development what was named Te Hubble Space Telescope.

Mark Petersen

To be fair, they were covering a LOT of territory in less than one hour. There were bound to be huge omissions. I wouldn’t mind seeing the telescope episode expanded to a series!

I agree the coverage of the subject was very uneven, but the crucial role of Venetian glassmakers in discovering how to make clear glass was interesting, as well as the invention of spectacles so the monks could continue working after their eyes went bad.

I thought the program was great. I like the history of how we get from "there to here". Makes me wonder if the monks had better eyesight or the human eye did not degenerate over time, there would be no need for eyeglasses... would the telescope have ever been invented?

Merle


By the way, I moved the topic to the Electronic Media & Book Group Forum.

I though the program was pretty good too. I like how they started with Middle Eastern astronomy that is often overlooked for their contributions to astronomy during the Middle Ages. While they didn't mention Hale by name, they did mention the 100" Hooker scope at Mt. Wilson.

As Deane mentioned, they covered a lot of ground in what was a 55-minute episode. There were bound to be omissions. But I certainly learned something.

Suresh

You can watch the show until 5/15 online at https://www.pbs.org/video/the-telescope-xikqww/

BREAKTHROUGH: THE IDEAS THAT CHANGED THE WORLD

Episode 5 - The Rocket

Airing on PBS at 9:00 tonight...