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Episode 5: The Astronomer’s Apprentice

Learning Tales | Written by Eve Mendez

🔭 What if understanding the heavens began not with answers, but with shadows, glass, and patience?

In this luminous episode of Learning Tales, step into the workshop of David Rittenhouse, the colonial clockmaker and self-taught astronomer whose quiet curiosity shaped America’s earliest science. Told through the eyes of a young apprentice, The Astronomer’s Apprentice captures the wonder of discovering how light bends through glass, how shadows keep time, and how the movements of the sun, moon, and stars can be measured by careful human hands.

From crafting polished lenses and testing mirrors to witnessing a total solar eclipse that turns day into night, the story reveals how observation transforms mystery into understanding. Alongside his mentor, the apprentice learns that science is not about mastering the sky—but listening to it.

Through storms, laughter, and the steady ticking of handmade clocks, this is a story of mentorship, discovery, and faith in the idea that truth can be found in the patterns of light and time.

Perfect for curious minds ages 6–12—and for anyone who has ever looked up and wondered how the sky keeps its rhythm.

Theme: Curiosity, Discovery, and the Science of Light
Featured Figures: David Rittenhouse, Benjamin Franklin, Colonial Apprentices

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