All of the Above: The Lowdown on the High Up

by Joel Marks Published as "Astronomer Spreads Pearls of Wisdom," New Haven Register , May 4, 1994. It is not what one expects in middle‑age: To meet a godlike man. Yet there he was, in our living room, this small, white‑haired, almost‑octogenarian, physically beautiful man, holding forth on the cosmos. John Dobson had come to visit.  You may have heard of him: He was featured a number of years ago in the first episode of the PBS television series, The Astronomers. He's even been on Johnny Carson. Among amateur astronomers he is known for two major contributions. He beat swords into plowshares by adapting an old cannon mount for use as a telescope mount. The mount, as well as telescopes that use it, have come to be known as "Dobsonians," although Dobson claims he has invented nothing. Dobsonians are noted for their ease of construction and ease of use; thus they have proliferated.  In concert with this technological innovation, Dobson had a moral idea