List of largest optical telescopes in the 18th century
List of largest optical telescopes in the 18th century, are listings of what were, for the time period of the 18th century, large optical telescopes. The list includes various refractor and reflector that were active some time between about 1699 to 1801. It is oriented towards astronomy, not terrestrial telescopes (e.g. spyglass).
Selected Reflectors & Refractors
The main telescope technologies during this period were refractors with non-achromatic objectives (single lens), speculum metal reflectors, refractors with achromatic doublets objective (doublet lens), and apochromatic triplets (after 1760s) objectives. The list is inherently limited by what examples and records survived.
Legend
| Name(s) | Aperture cm (in) |
Type | Significance | Location then/Original Site | Extant* |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Herschel 40-foot (1.26 m diameter)[1] | 126 cm(49.5″) | Reflector | World's largest 1789 | Observatory House; England | 1789–1815 |
| Rev John Michell's Gregorian reflector[2] | 75 cm (29.5″) | Reflector - Gregorian | World's largest 1780 | Yorkshire, Great Britain | 1780–1789 |
| Herschel "X Feet"[3] or "Large 10 Feet"[4] | 61 cm (24″) | Reflector | England | 1800 | |
| Father Noel's Gregorian reflector[2] | 60 cm (23.5″) | Reflector - Gregorian | World's largest 1761 | Paris, France | 1761 |
| James Short Gregorian reflector | 50 cm (19.5") | Reflector - Gregorian | World's largest 1750 | Scotland | 1750 |
| Schröter 27 foot Newtonian[3] | 47 cm (18.5") | Reflector | Lilienthal, Lower Saxony (Germany) | 1793 | |
| Herschel 20-foot[5][6] | 47 cm (18.5″) | Reflector | Observatory House; England | 1782 | |
| James Short Reflector for King of Spain[3] | 46 cm (18.1″) | Reflector - Gregorian | Spain | 1752 | |
| James Short's Gregorian reflector | 38 cm (14″) | Reflector - Gregorian | World's largest 1734 | Scotland | 1734 |
| Huygens aerial for Royal Society of London[7] | 19 cm (7.5″) | aerial | London, England | 1691-1786[8] | |
| William Herschel 7-foot[7] | 16 cm (6.3″) | Reflector | Discovered Georgium Sidus | England | 1776–1783 |
| Hadley's Reflector[9] | 15 cm (6″) | Reflector | First parabolic newtonian | England | 1721 |
| Van Deyl of Amsterdam telescope[10] | 11.4 cm (4.5″) | achromat | England | 1781 | |
| Shuckburgh telescope | 10 cm (4.1″) | achromat | First large equatorial[11] | Warwickshire, England | 1791–1923 |
| Dollond Apochromatic Triplet[12] | 9.53 cm (3.75″) | apochromat | First apochromatic triplet | England | 1763[12] |
| Francesco Bianchini's aerial telescope[13] | 6.6 cm (2.6") | aerial | Rome, Italy | 1726 | |
| Chester Moore Hall's Doublet[7] | 6.4 cm (2.5") | achromat | First achromatic doublet | England | 1733 |
| Troughton Equatorial Telescope[14] | 5.08 cm (2") | achromat | Equatorial mount | Armagh Observatory, Ireland | 1795 |
| Newton's reflector[15] (1st) | 3.3 cm (1.3") | Reflector | First reflecting telescope | England | 1668-1704[15] |
* (First light or Build Completion to Inactive or Deconstruction)
See also
- List of largest optical telescopes in the 19th century
- List of largest optical telescopes in the 20th century
- List of largest optical telescopes historically
- List of largest optical reflecting telescopes
- Peter Dollond
References
- ↑ "Original mirror for William Herschel's 40 foot telescope, 1785". Science & Society Picture Library. Retrieved 22 November 2008.
- 1 2 Henry C. King, The History of the Telescope - page 91
- 1 2 3 Henry C. King, The History of the Telescope - page 135
- ↑ 'The Herschel Chronicle - Page 92
- ↑ http://www.maa.clell.de/Messier/E/Xtra/Bios/wherschel.html
- ↑ http://www.nasm.si.edu/exhibitions/gal111/universe/etu_a_herschel.htm
- 1 2 3 Paul Schlyter, Largest optical telescopes of the world
- ↑ Cavendish - By Christa Jungnickel, Russell McCormmach - Pages 306 to 308
- ↑ http://amazing-space.stsci.edu/resources/explorations//groundup/lesson/scopes/hadley/index.php
- ↑ The Horological Journal - October, 1876 - Page 20
- ↑ Refracting telescope on equatorial mounting, 1791
- 1 2 Title: The invention and early development of the achromatic telescope, Authors: King, H. C., Journal: Popular Astronomy, Vol. 56, p.75, Bibliographic Code: 1948PA.....56...75K, Page 83
- ↑ Moore, P, "The Mapping of Venus", BRITISH ASTRON. ASSOC. JOURNAL V. 95, NO.2/FEB, P. 50, 1985
- ↑ http://www.arm.ac.uk/history/troughton/frames.html
- 1 2 The History of the Telescope By Henry C. King, Page 74
Further reading
- Catalogue of early telescopes (1999), By Albert Van Helden
- OUTLINE OF 18TH CENTURY ASTRONOMY - NYSkies Astronomy
External links
- List of large reflecting telescopes (Modern)
- The World's Largest Optical Telescopes (Modern)
- Largest optical telescopes of the world (Historical & Modern)
- Stellafane telescope links
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