"Possessing a quicksilver wit, a gift for turning a phrase that makes scientific concepts accessible, and an energy that belies his nearly 90 cycles around the sun, Mr. Dobson is one of history's greatest popularizers of science," (Wall Street Journal). He is the inventor of the Dobsonian telescope mount, which changed the field of astronomy dramatically, making telescopes accessible to the public on every continent.

A former Vedanta monk, he is a co-founder of "Sidewalk Astronomers," an organization that encourages amateurs to share their telescopes and knowledge with others on busy city streets and in national parks "so people can see something of the Universe in which they were born."

The film follows John as he tours the country from the sidewalks of San Francisco to Stellafane, a convention of telescope makers in Vermont. It features sequences on sidewalk astronomy, telescope making, the Moon, Sun, major planets, galaxies, Big Bang Theory, and the nature of time and space.

We also get to know Dobson, a fascinating thinker, philosopher, teacher, and human being. This astronomical and cosmological journey is illustrated with actual film footage and stills of space shot from satellites and spacecraft courtesy of NASA, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the Goddard Space Flight Center and the Hubble Space Telescope Institute.

Web Page: http://www.bullfrogfilms.com/catalog/side2.html

Reviews
"A Sidewalk Astronomer is an inspiring film about an inspired teacher. It should leave all viewers with an ounce of curiosity eager to hit the streets with Dobsonian telescopes of their own."