Henry Fitz
Henry Fitz (* 1808 in Newburyport , Massachusetts ; † October 31, 1863 ) was an American telescope manufacturer.
From 1840 to 1855 he made 40 percent of all telescopes sold in the United States. He received the decisive impetus on a trip to Europe. Here he came into contact with daguerreotype photography for the first time and learned a lot about the manufacture of lenses. Back in the US, he opened a photo studio. With the resulting profit, he was able to devote himself more intensively to developing better lenses. In 1845 his knowledge and success were so great that he could now concentrate entirely on the manufacture of telescopes. In 1845 he made a 6-inch refractor for the American Institute. He made his first observation instrument in 1849 for Erskine College in Due West, South Carolina, for which he received $ 1,050.
The amateur astronomer Robert van Arsdale from Newark , New Jersey, also bought a comet finder from Fitz. It is not known whether he discovered the comet in his name. Maria Mitchell also used a Fitz device.
In 1856 he made an instrument for the Academy at West Point, and a year later he created a 12¼-inch telescope, the largest telescope ever made in the US and the third largest in the world. This telescope cost $ 6,000.
His largest telescope with a 16-inch lens, for which William Vanduzee of Buffalo, New York, paid $ 7,000, was made in 1861.
Web links
- Henry Fitz, American Telescope Maker (English)
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Fitz, Henry |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American telescope manufacturer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 1808 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Newburyport |
| DATE OF DEATH | October 31, 1863 |