“The World’s Most Famous Telescope”
Vietnam War veteran John Thomas Brown returned home shell-shocked but bought a telescope with his discharge pay and for the next 35 years lectured Vieux Carré tourists, visitors and locals about the stars each night near the river in front of Cafe’ du Monde and nearby St. Louis Cathedral (which he often painted as a Jackson Square artist, his day-time job).
John’s likely the world’s most famous sidewalk astronomer except perhaps for Galileo; he is considered a rock star by many thousands of visitors and locals who have toured the night sky with John over the past 35 years.
His telescopes are easily the world’s most-viewed-through; for instance, people lined up for blocks, from Jax Brewery to the cafe’, all night long for a couple weeks during Halley’s Comet way back.
Being an advanced-amature astronomer myself, I became John’s senior-assistant about then (after his long-time assistant Julia left). Movie stars, celebrities, national and local politicos who came to town loved what he did and would visit him late nights.
I’ll post some of their autographs now and then (click this photo to see Sean Penn’s. John and made the actor an honorary sidewalk astronomer one of the many nights he visited and he kindly signed our guest book.
If you knew him you’d know John had a severe case of PTSD; he had horrific war stories but it didn’t get in the way of his scientific endeavors after Vietnam, on the streets of New Orleans, first at Jackson Square then Cafe’ du Monde.
Each and almost every clear night John would set up his professional-grade reflector telescopes (one which he built himself) to view the night sky, sharing his eyepieces with any local or tourist who happened by.
If out under the stars alone, John would sketch the moon, the path of Saturn or Jupiter’s moons as they circled that planet….
John was also an accomplished artist who, for 20 years during his daylight hours, set up an easel in front of St. Louis Cathedral and painted large oil on canvass stills of the building, each painting taking weeks to finish.
The life of a starving artist being as it was then (and remains today), John wanted $1,500 for his masterpieces but during desperate times would hand it over for $200, sometimes less than the cost of his materials if rent is due.
Alas, John died in late 2012 (complications from a Vietnam War injury). A military ceremony in honor of his Vietnam War service was held a week after John passed away Nov. 14, 2012. The soldiers played taps, folded an American flag, and presented it to his sister:
The ceremony was at Artillery Park between St. Louis Cathedral and the Mississippi River, right next to where John Thomas Brown showed the stars to the public at night for the past 35 years.
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