Educational Programs & Services, Brief History, and Chronology & Accomplishments
of Friends of the Zeiss

Friends of the Zeiss is a non-profit organization with the mission to promote Astronomy, Space Science, and other sciences to the general public through Internet web sites, SpaceWatchtower Blog, and SpaceWatchtower Twitter News Feed, as well as public observing sessions of special astronomical events and other public educational programs and services regarding Astronomy, Space Science, and other sciences. This organization also promotes the history and preservation of the historic equipment, artifacts, and building of Pittsburgh's original Buhl Planetarium and Institute of Popular Science, including the Zeiss II Planetarium Projector (prior to 2002 dismantling, oldest operable major planetarium projector in the world !) and the fairly unique 10-inch Siderostat-type Refractor Telescope.

Brief History

Friends of the Zeiss (sometimes referred to as "FriendsoftheZeiss.org") is the successor to a very informal organization formed in 2001 November called "The People's Planetarium and Observatory." This grew out of a grass-roots effort, begun by Friends of the Zeiss Project Director Glenn A. Walsh in December of 1993, to prevent the sale of the historic Zeiss projector and Siderostat telescope to out-of-state concerns.

When this organization was first contemplated, we had decided to form a not-for-profit corporation. We obtained legal advice on this matter from an attorney who specializes in non-profit law. We were told that it does not take much time to incorporate the organization with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. However, obtaining 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status, from the Federal Internal Revenue Service(IRS), often takes much longer--perhaps a year or more. So, at that time we chose to go another route, to expedite our ability to raise funds for preservation of the historic Buhl Planetarium equipment and artifacts.

We submitted an application to become a "project" of the Tides Center of Western Pennsylvania. The Tides Center is a San Francisco-based charitable foundation, which specializes in helping small start-up non-profit organizations. Had Friends of the Zeiss been accepted as a project of the Tides Center, we could have used the Tides Center's 501(c)(3) status to raise funds. After the City of Pittsburgh went through a Request-For-Proposal process (in which Friend of the Zeiss submitted a response, regarding the four major Buhl Planetarium artifacts, the City chose to lend three of the artifacts (Zeiss II Planetarium Projector, 10-inch Siderostat-type Refractor Telescope, and large Mercator's Projection Map of the World) to The Carnegie Science Center, while the fourth artifact, "The Rise of Steel Technology" mural, later was loaned to the Rivers of Steel National Heritage Area in Homestead.

As Friends of the Zeiss was not granted possession of the historic Buhl Planetarium artifacts, we could not legally raise funds for their preservation. At that time, Friends of the Zeiss suspended efforts to gain legal non-profit status; the application process with the Tides Center of Pittsburgh was never completed.

In April of 2008, The Carnegie Science Center announced that a major robotics exhibit, touted to be the largest such exhibit in the nation (including Carnegie Mellon University's Robot Hall of Fame), would be installed on the second floor of the Science Center building in 2009. Part of this space had previously been reserved for reassembly of the Zeiss II Planetarium Projector and the large Mercator's Projection Map of the World, as part of a "Final Frontier" exhibit, to be near the entrance of the current Science Center planetarium. The Carnegie Science Center had missed two deadlines (2005 and 2006) for reassembling the Zeiss II Projector. It was now quite clear, with the announcement of the new robotics exhibit, that the Science Center did not intend to reassemble the historic Buhl Planetarium artifacts.

Friends of the Zeiss decided, in May of 2008, to resume efforts to establish a legal non-profit corporation capable of raising funds for preservation of the historic Buhl Planetarium artifacts. Application for corporation and IRS 501(c)(3) status is now in process.

Please note that "Save the Buhl" is a separate organization that also works for the preservation of Buhl Planetarium and its historic equipment and artifacts. We have good relations with, and often collaborate with, Save the Buhl.

Chronology and Accomplishments
of Friends of the Zeiss

* 1994 January 3: Letter from Glenn A. Walsh* to Carnegie Institute President Ellsworth Brown asking that The Carnegie reconsider closing the original Buhl Planetarium building [then called The Carnegie Science Center, Allegheny Square Annex] and returning the building to the City of Pittsburgh. Special Note: When the 1994 letters were issued, Friends of the Zeiss had not yet been formed. The views in those two letters were those of the author.

* 1994 February 18: Letter from Glenn A. Walsh* to Buhl Foundation President Dr. Doreen E. Boyce asking that the Buhl Foundation use their influence for the preservation of the original Buhl Planetarium and Observatory, in usable form in The Buhl Planetarium and Institute of Popular Science building. Special Note: When the 1994 letters were issued, Friends of the Zeiss had not yet been formed. The views in those two letters were those of the author.

* 1995 May 18 - Grass-roots group of citizens, which later became Friends of the Zeiss, petitions for public hearing before Pittsburgh City Council to stop sale of Zeiss II Planetarium Projector and 10-inch Siderostat-type Refractor Telescope, by The Carnegie Science Center, to Navarro College, a community college located south of Dallas. At the public hearing, the group of citizens convinces City Council to not allow the sale to proceed.

* 1995 May - Indiana University (Bloomington IN) Ph.D. candidate Jordan D. Marche II interviewed Friends of the Zeiss Project Director Glenn A. Walsh regarding the history of The Buhl Planetarium and Institute of Popular Science including the historic Zeiss II Planetarium Projector and 10-inch Siderostat-type Refractor Telescope, for his thesis on the history of American planetaria. After receiving his Ph.D. in the History and Philosophy of Science, he also used these research materials to publish a book, Theaters of Time and Space, American Planetaria, 1930-1970 in 2005.

* 1995 to 1999 - Glenn A. Walsh, who later became Project Director of Friends of the Zeiss, works with groups such as the National Aviary (regarding establishment of an educational annex at Buhl Planetarium), Pittsburgh Board of Public Education (regarding establishment of a school for gifted children at Buhl Planetarium), and the Consortium of Italian-American Organizations - CIAO - (regarding establishment of an Italian-American Cultural Center at Buhl Planetarium). Each of these organizations expressed a commitment to maintain the historical building, equipment, and artifacts of the original Buhl Planetarium, as part of the building's new use. Regrettably, each of these proposals fell-through for both financial and political reasons.

* 1998 February 26 - Eclipse of the Sun - Partial Solar Eclipse viewed in Library Park of the Andrew Carnegie Free Library and Music Hall, Canegie PA: Partial Eclipse; program directed by Friends of the Zeiss Steering Committee members Glenn A. Walsh and John D. Weinhold, prior to formal establishment of Friends of the Zeiss in 2002.

* 1999 October 24 - For the 60th anniversary of The Buhl Planetarium and Institute of Popular Science, an Internet web site on the History of Buhl Planetarium was launched, as part of the educational web site of the Andrew Carnegie Free Library and Music Hall in Carnegie, Pennsylvania. The web site became independent of the Library web site in June of 2000, at this Internet address:

* 2000 January - Upon learning of the interest of the Children's Museum to expand into the Buhl Planetarium building (and lack of Children's Museum interest to retain historic Buhl Planetarium artifacts), fight begins to prevent removal of historic Buhl Planetarium equipment and artifacts from building.

* 2001 November - "The People's Planetarium and Observatory" name used for group of citizens interested in the preservation of the historic Buhl Planetarium building, equipment, and artifacts. The name was derived from the original name of Buhl Planetarium's astronomical observatory, "The People's Observatory."

* 2002 April 4 - "The People's Planetarium and Observatory" name was no longer used with the formation of Friends of the Zeiss.

* 2002 May 22 - Friends of the Zeiss response to City of Pittsburgh's Request-for-Proposals (RFP), regarding the future of the Zeiss II Planetarium Projector, 10-inch Siderostat-type Refractor Telescope, large Mercator's Projection Map of the World, and "The Rise of Steel Technology" mural.

* 2002 October - Following the execution of Memoranda of Understanding (rather than legal leases, as called-for in the City RFP) with the City of Pittsburgh, The Carnegie Science Center dismantles and removes the Zeiss II Planetarium Projector, 10-inch Siderostat-type Refractor Telescope, and large Mercator's Projection Map of the World from the Buhl Planetarium building. They are moved into The Carnegie Science Center's Miller Printing Warehouse Building, across North Shore Drive from the Science Center. The Science Center tells the City that the Zeiss II Planetarium Projector and the large Mercator's Projection Map of the World will be reassembled as part of a new "Final Frontier" exhibit, to be built near the second floor entrance to the Science Center's planetarium, by 2005. Science Center officials also state the 10-inch Siderostat-type Refractor Telescope will be reassembled on the roof of an expanded Science Center building, following completion of the proposed $90 million expansion project.

* 2003 May - The proposed $90 million expansion of The Carnegie Science Center is cancelled. The Science Center announces that reassembly of the Zeiss II Planetarium Projector would be delayed an additional year (until 2006); no mention of reassembly of 10-inch Siderostat-type Refractor Telescope and large Mercator's Projection Map of the World.

* 2004 June 8 - Friends of the Zeiss and The Duquesne Incline co-sponsor the City of Pittsburgh's only public observing session of the historic Transit of the Planet Venus Across the Image of the Sun. The public observing session took place on the Observation Deck of The Duquesne Incline.

* 2005 August 1 - Status of The Buhl Planetarium and Institute of Popular Science building as a City-Designated Historic Structure legally takes effect, following nomination at the beginning of the year by Friends of the Zeiss. Due to the City of Pittsburgh's "Act 47" financial distress condition, this historic nomination was the last application accepted by the Pittsburgh Historic Review Commission, without being accompanied by an application fee.

* 2005 - Indiana University (Bloomington IN) Ph.D. candidate Jordan D. Marche II interviewed Friends of the Zeiss Project Director Glenn A. Walsh, in May of 1995, regarding the history of The Buhl Planetarium and Institute of Popular Science including the historic Zeiss II Planetarium Projector and 10-inch Siderostat-type Refractor Telescope, for his thesis on the history of American planetaria. After receiving his Ph.D. in the History and Philosophy of Science, he also used these research materials to publish a book, Theaters of Time and Space, American Planetaria, 1930-1970 in 2005.

* 2008 May - Upon learning that The Carnegie Science Center will build a new robotics exhibit in second floor space that had been reserved for reassembly of the historic Zeiss II Planetarium Projector and large Mercator's Projection Map of the World, Friends of the Zeiss decides to seek non-profit corporation status, to begin raising funds for the preservation of historic Buhl Planetarium equipment and artifacts.

* 2010 July 1 - After years of political pressure by Friends of the Zeiss, The Carnegie Science Center finally placed the historic Zeiss II Planetarium Projector on permanent display at the western end of the Science Center's Atrium Gallery. The Zeiss II Projector is in a static display (except for once an hour, when the Projector spins 180 degrees) and does not display planets or stars. The 10-inch Siderostat-type Refractor Telescope, as well as most other original Buhl Planetarium artifacts, remain in storage. The Carnegie Science Center management has stated that the Siderostat Telescope will be reassembled, for use as a telescope, if and when The Carnegie Science Center building is expanded (a proposed $90 million expansion in 2002 was not successful).

Walsh, Glenn A. "Zeiss Projector Exhibit Opens at CSC." Electronic Mail-Group Message.
South Hills Backyard Astronomers Mail-Group 2010 July 1.

* 2011 September - Beginning of SpaceWatchtower Twitter News Feed.

* 2011 October - New book on the history of Carnegie Museums (including the original Buhl Planetarium and Institute of Popular Science) and Carnegie Libraries in Pittsburgh goes on sale. Friends of the Zeiss Project Director Glenn A. Walsh provided a great deal of Buhl Planetarium history to the book author Robert J. Gangewere, for his research for the book, Palace of Culture, Andrew Carnegie’s Museums and Library in Pittsburgh.

Walsh, Glenn A. "Buhl Planetarium History in New Book." Electronic Mail Group Message.
South Hills Backyard Astronomers Mail Group 2011 Oct. 16.

* 2011 November 9 - Beginning of SpaceWatchtower Blog.

* 2012 April 18 - Premiere, at Pittsburgh's Heinz History Center, of the historical documentary motion picture, Undaunted: The Forgotten Giants of the Allegheny Observatory. Friends of the Zeiss Project Director Glenn A. Walsh served as a History Consultant for this documentary.

* 2012 June 5, 6:04 to 8:30 p.m. EDT - Friends of the Zeiss and the Mount Lebanon Public Library co-sponsor the century's second and last public observing session of the historic Transit of the Planet Venus Across the Image of the Sun, in the Pittsburgh suburb of Mount Lebanon, Pennsylvania. The public observing session took place in the Library's large upper parking lot. Unfortunately, this event was clouded-out. However, Eric G. Canali did display his 8-inch Meade reflector telescope, as well as his 20 x 80 (20 power with 80 mm objective lenses) Celestron binoculars. The public (attendance: 110) was able to view the Transit of Venus via a large-screen web-cast, from NASA, in a lower level Library meeting room.

* 2012 July 11, 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. EDT - Friends of the Zeiss Project Director Glenn A. Walsh participated in the annual "Planet Party," a science educational program for children, sponsored by Assemble Pittsburgh at 5125 Penn Avenue in the Garfield section of the city. Although Mr. Walsh brought a 4-inch Astroscan reflector telescope, to show sunspots on the Sun to the children, this event was clouded-out; Mr. Walsh displayed the telescope at the event. Bill Moutz and Fred Klein, of the Amateur Astronomers' Association of Pittsburgh, also participated in this event, as they did the previous year. Nina Marie Barbuto of the Girls' Math and Science Partnership at The Carnegie Science Center coordinated this event.

* Friends of the Zeiss-related News Articles Regarding the 75th Anniversary of Buhl Planetarium: 2014 October 24.

* 2014 October 23, 3:37 to 7:52 p.m. EDT - On the eve of the 75th anniversary of Pittsburgh's original Buhl Planetarium and Institute of Popular Science, a partial eclipse of the Sun was viewed, via Internet web-cast from Griffith Observatory, in Meeting Room A on the Lower Level of the Mount Lebanon Public Library in the southern suburbs of Pittsburgh, co-sponsored by Friends of the Zeiss and the Mount Lebanon Public Library. Due to the late time of day of this eclipse, viewing the eclipse with a telescope was not practical.

* 2014 Dec. 5 - Friends of the Zeiss and the Mount Lebanon Public Library co-sponsored public viewing, via an Internet web-cast from NASA, of NASA's first test launch of the new Orion Deep-Space Vehicle, which will some day transport astronauts to the Moon, an asteroid, and perhaps eventually Mars.

* Friends of the Zeiss-related News Articles Regarding the 75th Anniversary of Buhl Planetarium: 2014 October 24.

* 2016 May 9, 9:00 a.m. to 2:42:26 p.m. EDT - Friends of the Zeiss and the Mount Lebanon Public Library co-spnsored safe public viewing of the fairly rare Transit of the Planet Mercury across the front of the Sun. Due to cloud cover, telescopic observations (projected on a portable movie screen) of the event were not possible. The general public was able to view the event via a large-screen, Internet web-cast of the event, in Conference Room A on the Lower Level of the Mount Lebanon Public Library. This event was hosted by Friends of the Zeiss member David Tessitor.
Publicity Poster / Flyer *** News Release *** SpaceWatchtower Blog Post

* 2017 April 22 - March for Science - Pittsburgh
Attended by Friends of the Zeiss Project Director Glenn A. Walsh.
Also distributed flyer for Friends of the Zeiss' public observing session for the Great American Solar Eclipse on 2017 August 21.

* 2017 August 21 - Public observing session for the Great American Solar Eclipse, co-sponsored by Friends of the Zeiss and the Mount Lebanon Public Library. The Mount Lebanon Public Library estimated public attendance at 300. Members of Friends of the Zeiss participating in this event were Glenn A. Walsh, Lynne S. Walsh, James McKee, and Josie Dougherty (eighth-grade student who had just attended NASA's Space Camp in Huntsville, Alabama) ---
>> Mount Lebanon Public Library Event Notice
>> Publicity Flyer: "Safe Public Viewing of Great American Solar Eclipse in South Suburban Pittsburgh"
>> SOLAR ECLIPSE / ECLIPSE OF THE SUN: TIPS FOR SAFE VIEWING
>> Solar Pinhole Viewing Box
>> Solar Haiku By Diane Woodward Dorff (Haiku in anticipation of the Great American Solar Eclipse)
>> Moonshadow By Diane Woodward Dorff (Poem inspired by the Great American Solar Eclipse)
>> SpaceWatchtower,blogspot.com Blog-Posts -
> "Special Solar Eclipse Stamp to be Unveiled During Stonehenge-Type Solstice Event in Wyoming" (2017 June 19): Blog-Post *** Photos of New Postage Stamp
> "Strong Solar Flare Seen, Although Approaching Sunspot Minimum" (2017 July 15)
> "Citizen Science: Aug. 21 Great American Solar Eclipse Mega-Movie Project" (2017 July 24)
> "Great American Solar Eclipse Next Monday" Some Ways to See It Safely" (2017 Aug. 14)
> "Great American Solar Eclipse: More Citizen Science Projects" (2017 Aug. 18)
> "Great American Solar Eclipse Early Mega-Movie & Balloon Images" (2017 Aug. 26)
>> Media Coverage -
> Batz, Jr., Bob. "Even the partial eclipse can be totally fun at Pittsburgh-area events."
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 2017 Aug. 13.
Mt. Lebanon Library’s 1 to 4 p.m. viewing party will include live feeds on a big screen indoors and, weather permitting, a safe-for-solar-viewing telescope provided by the Friends of the Zeiss (friendsofthezeiss.org).
> Audio recording of pre-Eclipse interview with Friends of the Zeiss Project Director Glenn A. Walsh on "Saturday Light Brigade" radio program (2017 Aug. 19) aired on network of stations.
> Funk, Harry. "Attendance swells for Mt. Lebanon library’s eclipse event."
The Almanac, South Hills, Pittsburgh 2017 Aug. 21.
(On-Line version of story posted on 2017 August 21. Print version of story published on following Wednesday, August 23, in this weekly newspaper.
Print version of story published as only story on front page of this tabloid newspaper.)

* Tuesday Morning, 2019 August 13, 10:00 a.m. EDT / 14:00 UTC -
Friends of the Zeiss Project Director Glenn A. Walsh (as a member of the National Space Society) and National Space Society Regional Director Randy W. Gigante met with Heather Painter, Legislative Assistant for U.S. Congressman Conor Lamb (D-Pennsylvania) in the Pennsylvania Congressional 17th District Office in Mount Lebanon PA, regarding legislation and funding for NASA. Congressman Lamb is a member of the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, as well as Chairman of the Subcommittee on Energy.

* Monday Morning, 2019 September 23, 3:35 a.m. EDT / 7:35 UTC -
Friends of the Zeiss Project Director Glenn A. Walsh provides (via electronic-mail) the time of the 2019 Autumnal Equinox (3:50 a.m. EDT / 12:50 a.m. PDT / 7:50 UTC) to George Knapp, weekend host of overnight, national radio program, Coast-to-Coast-AM, which Mr. Knapp announced on the radio show, crediting Mr. Walsh for the information and mentioning that Mr. Walsh had worked at a planetarium.

* Friday, 2020 September 18 - Blog-post describing how Friends of the Zeiss Project Director Glenn A. Walsh assisted in resolving the 50-year mystery of the disappearance of Adler Planetarium's historic Zeiss II / III Planetarium Projector ---
Walsh, Glenn A. "Mystery Solved! Oldest U.S. Planetarium Projector Found & Recovered." Blog-Post.
SpaceWatchtower 2020 Sept. 18.
A 50-year mystery has been solved! America's oldest planetarium projector, the Zeiss II / III Planetarium Projector operated at Chicago's Adler Planetarium from 1930 to 1969, has been found and recovered.
About 20 years ago, planetarium historians Glenn A. Walsh and Brent Sullivan, with assistance from Gary Lazich, started looking for Adler's historic Zeiss II / III Planetarium Projector. Through research, including telephone and electronic mail interviews with people who had involvement with the Adler Zeiss Projector, a narrative started to be assembled showing what may have happened to the projector...
In 1935, the Buhl Foundation (then, the nation's 13th largest philanthropic foundation) announced that they would build a planetarium in memory of Henry Buhl, Jr., who had owned one of Pittsburgh's major department stores, Boggs and Buhl. The Buhl Planetarium and Institute of Popular Science opened in 1939. AAAP co-founder Leo Scanlon (who, in November of 1930, had constructed the world's first all-aluminum astronomical observatory dome) was one of the first two Buhl Planetarium lecturers.

* Tuesday, 2021 July 6, 12:00 to 1:00 p.m. EDT / 16:00 to 17:00 UTC - Friends of the Zeiss Project Director Glenn A. Walsh attended Zoom.us meeting entitled, Autonomous Robots in Space and Sky, sponsored by the Facebook Group AppSciComm (Pittsburgh-area Science Communicators). The meeting panel was moderated by Mark Roth (father of former Buhl Science Center Floor Supervisor Kristen Roth); meeting invitations were issued by Erin Hare, AppScieComm Facebook Group Administrator. The panel consisted of Mark Thornton, CEO of Pittsburgh-based Astrobotic Company (which, in May, announced the establishment of Pennsylvania's first space-exclusive museum, the Moonshot Space Museum, to open in the Summer of 2022), and Lyle Chamberlain, CTO and Co-Founder of Near Earth Autonomy.

* Monday, 2024 April 8 - Friends of the Zeiss members Lynne S. Walsh, James McKee, and Glenn A. Walsh traveled to the Great Lakes Science Center and NASA Visitors Center of the Glenn Research Center, in Downtown Cleveland, for the North American Total Solar Eclipse. This Total Solar Eclipse traveled directly over Cleveland.