John Wall (inventor) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
John Wall
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John Wall
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| Born | 26 June 1932 |
| Died | 27 January 2018 (aged 85) Coventry, Warwickshire, England
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| Occupation | Engineer |
| Engineering career | |
| Significant design | Crayford focuser |
| Significant advance | dialyte based refracting telescope |
John Wall (born 26 June 1932 – died 27 January 2018) was an English engineer who designed many things. He was also an amateur astronomer, which means he studied stars and planets as a hobby. On top of that, he was an amateur telescope maker, building his own telescopes for fun.
John Wall was a member of the British Astronomical Association until he passed away in 2018. He became well-known for designing special refracting telescopes that used a type of lens called a dialyte. He even invented his own version called the Zerochromat.
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Who Was John Wall?
John Wall was born in Crayford, Kent, England in 1932. From a young age, he was interested in how things work and how to build them. This led him to become a design engineer, someone who plans and creates new tools or machines.
Besides his work, John had a passion for the night sky. He loved looking at stars and planets, and he enjoyed building his own telescopes to get a better view. He was a very active member of the British Astronomical Association, sharing his knowledge with others.
Designing Amazing Telescopes
John Wall was famous for his clever ideas in telescope design. He found ways to make telescopes better and easier to use. His inventions helped many people, both professional scientists and hobbyists, explore the universe.
The Crayford Focuser
One of John Wall's most famous inventions is the Crayford focuser. A focuser is a part of a telescope that helps you get a clear, sharp image of what you are looking at. It moves the eyepiece back and forth very smoothly.
- The Crayford focuser was special because it used a simple, friction-based design.
- This made it very smooth and precise, without any wobbly parts.
- It was also quite easy to build, which made it popular among amateur telescope makers.
- Many telescopes today still use designs based on John Wall's original Crayford focuser.
The Zerochromat Telescope
John Wall also designed special refracting telescopes. Refracting telescopes use lenses to gather light and make distant objects appear closer. Sometimes, simple refracting telescopes can show a slight blur of colors around objects, which is called chromatic aberration.
- John Wall worked on a type of telescope called a dialyte.
- Dialyte telescopes use a special arrangement of lenses to make the telescope shorter and lighter.
- His unique design, which he called the Zerochromat, aimed to reduce those color blurs.
- This allowed for clearer and sharper views of planets and stars.
- He even built a very large 30-inch dialyte refracting telescope, which was quite an achievement.
His Legacy
John Wall passed away on 27 January 2018 in Coventry, Warwickshire, England, at the age of 85. His contributions to telescope design, especially the Crayford focuser and his work on dialyte telescopes, continue to help astronomers and hobbyists around the world. He showed how a passion for engineering and astronomy can lead to amazing inventions.
Images for kids
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Drawings for the Crayford focuser
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30-inch dialyte refracting telescope
