Warner Williams & Telescopes

View The Moon At Culver Park
Thursday, September 27, 1979
Culver Citizen

Culver - Warner Williams, noted sculptor and designer has graciously accepted an invitation to bring his telescope to the Culver Town Park.



The instrument is an 8" Newtownian telescope with 1,500 times the light gathering power of the human eye and capable of seeing a lighted candle at Louisville, Ky. or to read the headlines of a newspaper 15 miles distant, so powerful is the telescope.



It’s magnifying power ranges from 80 to a theoretical 1,000 but as with all telescopes, usage is generally in the lower powers since atmospheric disturbances blur objects in the higher powers.

The instrument is hand made, including the parabolic mirror made of Pyrex glass, ground and polished to an accuracy of one-millionth of an inch. Mr Williams has also made telescopes of 6' . 8'. 10' and 12' diameter. The 10" is built with an automatic drive so that it will follow any star and counteract the revolution of the earth. Scientific American magazine has published several articles about this instrument.

The observation of the moon will take place in front of the Beach Lodge on one night only. October 1 will be the date for the viewing with October 2 and October 3 as back-up dates. Viewing will depend on the clearness of the sky and will begin at dusk-ending at 10:00 P.M.

If you have any questions on those nights, please call 842-35109 after 5 p.m.

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Warner Williams Builds Powerful Telescope Here

Public Is Invited To Study Heavens Next Sunday Evening

Warner Williams, artist in residence in Culver Military Academy, who has worked for 2 1/2 years on a permanently located telescope atop the Music and Arts Building on the Academy campus, has recently completed a light weight portable version of this powerful instrument.

Although smaller in size than the original telescope, Mr. Williams states that the portable version of the telescope will reduce the actual distance of the 240,000 miles between and moon and earth to an apparent distance of 800 miles.

Next Sunday, Sept. 25, the moon will be in its first quarter and will be the ideal time, weather permitting, to view the moon and other objects of interest.

It has occurred to Mr. Williams that Culver area residents will be interested in observing some of the more spectacular celestial phenomena and as a result will have the telescope in the Culver-Union Township school yard. It will be located just north of the school building.

Unfortunately there will be no planets in the sky at that time but some of the familiar objects that can be seen will be: Globular Cluster in Hercules, the Andromeda Nebula, the Ring Nebula in Lyra and Dumbbell Nebula in Cygnus, and a number of double stars.

Mr. Williams extends a cordial invitation to both young and old to come to the school grounds between dusk and 11 p.m. next Sunday for an extraordinary treat.

If the weather is bad a later date will be announced in The Citizen.

C. Warner Williams - The Artist Index