Initial Conditions: A Physics History Podcast cover image

The Unexpected Hero of Light

Initial Conditions: A Physics History Podcast

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Bashir Thaw's Telescopes - And the Commissions

Bashir was still working full time in the steel mills, right? So lens making was still very much a hobby for him. Bashir places an ad in a newspaper for his telescope making services. After effectively a nervous breakdown from overwork, Bashir finally quits his job in the steel mill because he's supported by his daughter's husband and works full time lens making. Thaw supplements his income because Bashir refused to charge even enough to cover materials for his telescopes. And Thaw also built a workshop for him next to the observatory. He made custom instruments to support Samuel Langley's groundbreaking solar research,. including a device that extended the known wavelengths of infrared radiation.

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