6 replies to this topic

[JWBriggs]

Hi Folks--

 

Mark Sproul and I are very grateful to have discovered helpful information on Cloudy Nights regarding the highly respected mirror maker, Richard A. Fagin of Summit Instruments in Florida.  Richard was also a viola player in the Palm Beach Symphony Orchestra.  He got his start in mirror making at Adler Planetarium, and he was 31 years old in November of 1988. See:

https://www.latimes....-598-story.html

 

Richard was also the person who first suggested establishing the now-long-running Winter Star Party in Florida:

https://www.explores...3HLu4kuheeWlGLf

 

A factoid that we can add to history related to Mr. Fagin is that he was the optician responsible for modifying the iconic 18 1/2-inch Cave Astrola telescope that had been made for Henry Clay Gibson (1885-1997).  Many readers will know the grand instrument from the Cave Astrola catalogues.  Gibson lived in Florida in his final years, but he had long been a member of the Rittenhouse Astronomical Society in Philadelphia.

https://www.rittenho...ety.org/history

 

Gibson donated a two-dome observatory housing the 18 1/2-inch and an unusual early 10-inch apochromatic refractor by Perkin Elmer to the University of Miami.  The University eventually decided to move the telescopes and domes to its campus, including a conversion of the 18 1/2-inch around that time into a Newtonian-Cassegrainian of shorter primary focal length.  In 2024, the 18 1/2-inch was transferred to Mark Sproul.

 

Mark and I wonder if the 18 1/2-inch mirror might be the largest known mirror figured by Mr. Fagin.  Thanks to comments recorded here on Cloudy Nights, we've learned that Fagin was highly regarded as an optician.  We understand that he closed his optical shop after it was damaged by Hurricane Andrew in 1992.  If anyone has information about Mr. Fagin's later activities, many readers here have been interested to learn more. 

 

--John W. Briggs. 

 

Edited by JWBriggs, 05 September 2024 - 02:59 PM.

[deSitter]

Hi Folks--

 

Mark Sproul and I are very grateful to have discovered helpful information on Cloudy Nights regarding the highly respected mirror maker, Richard A. Fagin of Summit Instruments in Florida.  Richard was also a viola player in the Palm Beach Symphony Orchestra.  He got his start in mirror making at Adler Planetarium, and he was 31 years old in November of 1988. See:

https://www.latimes....-598-story.html

 

Richard was also the person who first suggested establishing the now-long-running Winter Star Party in Florida:

https://www.explores...3HLu4kuheeWlGLf

 

A factoid that we can add to history related to Mr. Fagin is that he was the optician responsible for modifying the iconic 18 1/2-inch Cave Astrola telescope that had been made for Henry Clay Gibson (1885-1997).  Many readers will know the grand instrument from the Cave Astrola catalogues.  Gibson lived in Florida in his final years, but he had long been a member of the Rittenhouse Astronomical Society in Philadelphia.

https://www.rittenho...ety.org/history

 

Gibson donated a two-dome observatory housing the 18 1/2-inch and an unusual early 10-inch apochromatic refractor by Perkin Elmer to the University of Miami.  The University eventually decided to move the telescopes and domes to its campus, including a conversion of the 18 1/2-inch around that time into a Newtonian-Cassegrainian of shorter primary focal length.  In 2024, the 18 1/2-inch was transferred to Mark Sproul.

 

Mark and I wonder if the 18 1/2-inch mirror might be the largest known mirror figured by Mr. Fagin.  Thanks to comments recorded here on Cloudy Nights, we've learned that Fagin was highly regarded as an optician.  We understand that he closed his optical shop after it was damaged by Hurricane Andrew in 1992.  If anyone has information about Mr. Fagin's later activities, many readers here have been interested to learn more. 

 

--John W. Briggs. 

 

Scopezilla! I wondered if even one example existed!!

 

-drl

[NinePlanets]

I don't have later activities, but I do have earlier ones. I took these photos of a Richard Fagin of Chicago at the National Amateur Astronomers Convention in Boulder in August of 1977 with my trusty Kodak 110 Pocket Camera. He gave me his business card (printed on photographic paper, as I recall) regarding his custom telescope making business. Pictured is a wooden Cassegrain he brought. I'm pretty sure the blue tube is one of his too. The pretty lady was also his.

 

He did good. I wonder if he knew then that he would go that far? Obviously had the telescope bug in his blood.

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Edited by NinePlanets, 05 September 2024 - 05:07 PM.

[JWBriggs]

Hi NinePlanets--

 

It's really great having images of Mr. Fagin!  Thank you,

 

--JWB.

[tim53]

It still amazes me when I saw Gibson's birth and death dates.  109 years old!

 

Tom Terleski posted info about this telescope on his Astrola website:  http://www.cave-astr...opes/index.html

 bottom of page.

 

The other 18"  (built as a Cassegrain - the only one) was still in use last time I found it.  I thought it was at Kansas State University, but I'm not having any luck locating the website I'd found years back.

 

-Tim.

[NinePlanets]

Hi NinePlanets--

 

It's really great having images of Mr. Fagin!  Thank you,

 

--JWB.

In your original post you refer to Mr. Fagin in the past tense. Is he no longer with us?

[msc8]

In your original post you refer to Mr. Fagin in the past tense. Is he no longer with us?

Hope not.  Made my first mirror with him when he ran a small shop and also ran classes.  I do remember him making some large relatively fast and thin mirrors (for the times) back then mid 70s maybe?  I would say 18" 2" think was the biggest I saw.