Seeing the Future -- from 1934

 



Talk about accurate futurism! Thumbing through the Sept 1934 issue of Popular Science (don't ask), I found this: "Television May Add to the Power of Telescope." Without ever hearing about "pixel count" the inventive professor suggested the light gathering power might reach that of a "2000 inch reflector," when the largest telescope on earth had a 100 inch mirror! The futurist foresaw pixel count saying, "a mosaic of tiny photoelectric cells at the focus of the telescope." 88 years ago! Wow.



The James Webb has 8 million "tiny photoelectric cells!"


... and they see Infra-red!

I'm sure even the far-seeing Dr. Francois Henroteau* (Canadian, dontcha know) would have been blown away.  I sure am, both by his prescience and by the JWST itself.  

THAT FUTURE JUST KEEPS THUNDERING DOWN THE TIME TRACK.

* A NYTime piece on Francois

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