The Sidewalk Astronomers is a California non-profit corporation with members throughout the world. Their staff is all volunteer and our financial statements are available on request. Since 1968, when John Dobson and two of his students (Bruce Sams and Jeff Roloff) started the San Francisco Sidwalk Astronomers, our sole purpose for existence has been public service in astronomy. In 1976, their growing organiztion became known simply as “the Sidewalk Astronomers” although legally, the “San Francisco” remains.Telescope making is an important part of the Sidewalk Astronomers. Not only are they committed to keeping the art of telescope making alive, we try to do it as inexpensively as possible, so that no one is denied a telescope because of cost.

Their primary work is giving the people of this planet a chance to see, with their own eyes, celestial objects through good-sized telescopes,and providing them with information about what they are seeing. They never charge for this service, and anyone who does in not affiliated with their organization! In order that more people may own and use telescopes for this purpose, they also teach classes and offer assistance in low-cost telescope making. The heart of the Newtonian telescope is the comparatively long focus, parabolic mirror called the objective. It gathers light from the object and forms an image of the object in the focal plane at the eyepiece.

For more information, please visit ttp://www.sidewalkastronomers.us