Backyard workshop turns recycled glass into telescopes

Under Jonesborough's night sky, Michael Zarillo is teaching neighbors to grind glass into telescopes and look up with curiosity. On Wednesday evenings at his home workshop on Brandonwood Drive, Zarillo gathers neighbors around sheets of glass, grinding tools and a shared view of the cosmos. Zarillo, an amateur astronomer originally from Pennsylvania, said his fascination with the night sky began in childhood. "I've always had a fascination in astronomy," Zarillo said. "I grew up in an area that was dark skies and clear skies most nights, and if I had known as a child that being an astronomer was an occupation, that would have been what I did in place of information technology." Instead, he said he built a career in IT and software development, later applying those technical skills to telescope making. He contributes code and research to online communities and the astronomy forum Cloudy Nights. He said his path to mirror making began with frustration in the telescope manufacturing industry. "I tried to purchase a commercially made telescope, readily available at your big box stores," he said. "I found that I could never make it focus correctly. Commercially made scopes are typically not made within margins that most astronomers would find acceptable. I like to see a good, sharp focus across the field of view." So he began researching how to build one himself. Over the past few years, he has constructed and rebuilt glass kilns, converted a shed on his property into a workshop and produced multiple telescope mirrors from recycled glass. "I take recycled glass, cut it down and fuse it into a blank," he said. "From that, anybody can take and grind out a mirror, apply silver and build a structure around it — and you've got the telescope." About six months ago, Zarillo began hosting weekly workshops at his home at 135 Brandonwood Drive. He said the sessions are open to all ages, free to attend and typically last 60 to 90 minutes. Material bundles start at $100 for those who want to build a telescope themselves, though it is not required. Groups are welcome, and workshops are held Wednesdays at 6 p.m., rain or shine. "It's a lot of things," Zarillo said of the workshop. "I would like to say it's to build telescopes, but it's also to learn astronomy. I've taken a lot of time to work out some of the finer details to make it easy for anybody to understand it, turning it from jargon into something that the layman can understand." He said the workshop also helps demystify telescopes, which some people find intimidating. "There's a lot of mysticism around these things," Zarillo said. "People see telescopes and they're kind of afraid to get near them because of how delicate they consider they must be or how expensive some of them are. "I was aiming this workshop at telescopes that a kid could use and knock over and it wouldn't break. Things that take the mysticism out of it, make them everyday objects that everybody can understand." Zarillo believes almost anyone can build one with time and patience. "Anybody as young as 5 years old can produce one, given enough time and patience," he said. On most Wednesdays, participants review their progress grinding mirrors, learn about what is currently visible in the night sky and, weather permitting, step outside for observation. "We'll go over what it takes to make a telescope if you're just starting out," Zarillo said. "If you've got some progress made on your mirror, we'll go over what you've done to it, what needs to be done to progress it to the next step. We'll also talk about star stuff, whatever happens to be in the sky at the moment." Participants sometimes bring store-bought telescopes that have sat unused. "Sometimes people bring telescopes along that they've purchased and stuffed in a closet, and they just simply didn't understand how to use it," Zarillo said. "We'll work out if it's been set up correctly and, if not, we'll reset it for them and teach them how to use their scopes so that we get more eyes pointing up." In addition to small group instruction, Zarillo hosts monthly public outreach events, bringing a large telescope to parks or downtown areas for community viewing of the moon or visible planets. He said astronomy offers a lifelong pursuit driven by curiosity. "I rank curiosity right up there with a couple other things as far as being the most important personal aspects," Zarillo said. "There is no end to what you can look at when you point a scope up. There's several lifetimes of opportunities. It's a lifetime hobby." Zarillo said he can guide about six people at a time through the mirror-grinding process, though there is no limit to those attending to learn. Families can work together on a single mirror, and his workshop can produce mirrors up to 16 inches in diameter. "We have the ability to produce up to 16-inch diameter mirrors currently," he said. "Ten people can work on a 4-inch mirror or it can be done by a single person." Zarillo, who moved to Tennessee in 2012 after promising his wife he would return to her home state before starting a family, said the workshops are simply an extension of a lifelong habit. "A lot of people are busy in their everyday life," he said. "They're looking down all around them, and not that many people tend to look up." Those interested in attending a workshop may call (423) 276-3421 for more information.