Astroscan

Lore & Background

The Astroscan was designed by Edmund designer Norman Sperling and optical engineer Mike Simmons, with detailed work by Peter Bressler Design Associates. Rather than a traditional equatorial or altazimuth mount, it used a spherical housing around the primary reflector that sat in a cast aluminum cradle, making it durable and easy to use. The telescope body was made from high impact ABS plastic and came with a carrying strap for portability.

When introduced in 1976, Edmund Scientific called it 'The Edmund Wide-Field Telescope' with Part Number '2001'. A public contest to name it ran until November 15, 1976, and the winning name was 'Astroscan 2001', though the '2001' part was later dropped. The telescope was targeted at the novice market and had limitations: it was designed for low power or wide-angle work, the short f/4 focal ratio did not allow high magnification without image degradation, and the primary mirror was factory aligned with no adjustment provisions.

The Astroscan came with 15 mm and 28 mm focal length RKE eyepieces, giving magnifications of 30× and 16× respectively, with a 3.0° field of view using the 28 mm eyepiece and 1.6° with the 15 mm. After Edmund Scientific was acquired by Science Kit and Boreal Laboratories in 2001, the telescope continued to be sold on the Edmund Scientific website. Production ceased in 2013 when the mold for the plastic body broke.

Reader's Guide

The Astroscan's significance lies in its role as an accessible, durable wide-field telescope for beginners, produced for 37 years by Edmund Scientific. Its design, which won an Industrial Design Award in 1976, emphasized simplicity and portability over high magnification, making it a notable entry-level instrument. After production ended in 2013 due to a broken mold, the Edmund Scientific website (later Scientifics Direct) offered a different table-top Newtonian labeled the 'Astroscan Millennium' in 2016. There were reports of a Kickstarter campaign by one of the original creators to fund a new version based on the original design. Scientifics Direct expected to have the Astroscan back in production in early 2017, and later stated they would reintroduce the original design in late 2020, though production was placed on hold until quality and price could match the original. The Astroscan's legacy is that of a pioneering, user-friendly telescope that introduced many to amateur astronomy.

Student Origins & the First Telescope

By 1961, science teacher Hector Robinson had led his classes in constructing several small telescopes, and the group collectively decided it was time to tackle something far more ambitious. Funding came from a combination of student and teacher donations. The resulting instrument featured a mirror blank made from two pieces of Pyrex glass, each 12.5 inches in diameter and over two inches thick, together weighing 28 pounds. Teams of students ground, tested, and polished the blank to a precise parabolic curve using various grades of carborundum. A cradle and equatorial mount were added so the whole assembly could be carried outside on clear evenings from Robinson's classroom. In 1964, the Lincoln Park Board of Education approved a permanent structure: a concrete block building roughly 14 feet in diameter and 8 feet tall, capped with a rotating metal dome and a retractable shutter. Foundations and a central piling were poured that spring, and the observatory was operational by 1965.

The Astronomy Club & Mentorship Era

After Robinson retired in 1966, the observatory sat largely idle until a student Astronomy Club formed in 1971 to keep the instrument in use. That same year, the Lincoln Park School Board officially dedicated the facility to Robinson, updating the original 1965 commemoration plaque with a rededication. Between 1974 and 1977, Bruce Coultas, an eighth-grade principal at Huff Jr. High, served as the club's sponsor. Under his guidance, members constructed three additional telescopes, including a rich-field instrument that complemented the narrow view of the main 12.5-inch scope. Optical specialist Mike Manyak, a member of the Detroit Astronomical Society based in Wyandotte, joined as sponsor and curator. With his expertise, the club ground their own mirrors using kits, while Manyak handled the delicate final figuring to correct a Turned Down Edge problem. In the summer of 1975, the main mirror was re-figured to one-tenth wavelength precision and re-coated with aluminum. The club also received a 35 mm SLR camera and began experimenting with astrophotography, capturing their first images of the Moon and Jupiter. At its peak, the club counted 35 members.

Decline & Dormancy

The observatory's active life was closely tied to the presence of a middle school program. When Huff Jr. High was eventually torn down, the observatory and the adjacent football field remained on the old school site next to Lincoln Park High, and the facility continued in limited use into the early 1980s. However, the death of Bruce Coultas in 1982 proved a critical blow. Without a dedicated middle school club to drive participation, interest in the observatory faded rapidly, and the facility entered a prolonged dormant period. Over the ensuing years, the instruments suffered significant neglect. The original 12-inch mirror lost its aluminum reflective coating entirely, while the 8-inch Newtonian reflector built in 1977 fared no better. Bird droppings accumulated on both mirrors, and the acid in the droppings etched the previously fine optical surfaces. The old wooden scaffolding that observers once climbed to peer through the eyepiece nine feet above the floor also deteriorated. The observatory was ultimately closed pending renovation, and physical restoration work did not begin until late 2008.

Revival & Modern Operations

In 2001, amateur astronomer Dr. Timothy Dey learned of the observatory's existence and surveyed the site. Together with Leo Macmaster, an eighth-grade science teacher, Dey pursued funding to revitalize the facility. Their efforts paid off in 2008 when they secured a grant from Toshiba. The restoration project involved removing the deteriorated original telescope and the damaged 8-inch Newtonian, repairing the building structure, and installing a new raised floor. Notably, parts of the old wooden scaffolding were repurposed into the raised floor, eliminating the need for viewers to climb a tall structure to reach the eyepiece. Joseph Griggs Construction Company, led by J. R. Griggs, a former student of Hector Robinson, handled the building restoration, new wiring, cleanup, and painting. The Ford Amateur Astronomy Club from Dearborn contributed astronomical expertise, and the mayor of Lincoln Park provided additional funding support. The observatory reopened in September 2009 with a new 14-inch Celestron SCT telescope as its primary instrument. Meanwhile, the 8-inch Newtonian from 1977 was rescued from a scrapyard by a former club member, preserving a piece of the facility's student-built heritage.