The Perfect Machine

The sweeping saga of the construction of the 200-inch telescope at Mount Palomar, presented with photos and illustrations and told with drama and evocative detail. Against the backdrop of Depression-era America, Ronald Florence weaves a tale of human effort and technical splendor that culminates in the completion of a magnificent telescope the size of the Pantheon in Rome. Though constructed 50 years ago, the telescope remains one of the most accurate in use today. During its creation, Fundamentalists threatened sabotage because they thought the machine would afford mortals a glimpse of heaven. The brilliant astronomer who conceived the telescope, George Hale, suffered bouts of hallucinatory hysteria. The former chicken farmer handgrinding the telescope's huge mirror was driven nearly insane as well by the end of his seven-years task. But the telescope was built, and it was built perfectly. The Perfect Machine is a stirring chronicle of the potential of Big Science, and a poignant rendering of an America mired in the Depression, yet reaching for the sky.