This list of largest optical telescopes in the 19th century includes what were large optical telescopes for their time. See List of largest optical telescopes in the 20th century for later telescopes. The list includes various refractors and reflectors that were active at some time between about 1799 to 1901.
The main material used early on for reflecting telescope mirrors was speculum metal, which reflected only about two-thirds of the incident light, and which tarnished, requiring maintenance. Two-element refracting telescopes were extensively used in 19th century observatories despite their smaller apertures than metal, and later glass, mirror telescopes.
The technology for silver-coating glass mirrors, more reflective than speculum metal and not subject to tarnishing, was developed in the mid-19th century but was slow to be adopted. A major technology advance of this time was the development of photography, permitting astrophotography, and some telescopes were tailored to this application. A wide variety of scientific instruments were developed for use with telescopes, such as for spectroscopy and various astronomical measurements.
Reflectors and refractors Early reflectors using speculum metal had some of the record-breaking apertures of the day, but not necessarily high performance. Starting in the 1860s metal coated glass ('Silver on glass') reflector telescopes proved more durable, for example the Crossley Reflector, which continued to be used and upgraded even into the 21st century. Refracting telescopes, with lenses, especially achromatic doublets, rather than mirrors were popular in the 19th century (see also great refractor).
Name/Observatory Aperture cm (in) Type Location then (Original Site) Extant* Leviathan of Parsonstown reflector – metal Birr Castle; Ireland 1845–1908? A.A. Common 60-inch reflector – glass England, UK 1891–1904 Herschel 40-foot (1.26 m diam.) reflector – metal Observatory House; England, UK 1789–1815 Great Paris Exhibition Telescope of 1900 achromat – siderostat Paris 1900 Exposition, France 1900–1901 Great Melbourne Telescope reflector – metal Melbourne Observatory, Australia 1869William Lassell 48-inch reflector – metal Malta 1861–1865 National Observatory, Paris reflector-glass Paris, France 1875–1943 Yerkes Observatory achromat Williams Bay, Wisconsin, USA 1897 Meudon Observatory 100 cm reflector-glass Meudon Observatory, France 1891James Lick telescope, Lick Observatory achromat Mount Hamilton, California, USA 1888 Crossley Reflector reflector – glass Lick Observatory, USA 1896 A. A. Common Reflector reflector – glass Great Britain 1880–1896 Rosse 36-inch Telescope (The 3-foot) reflector – metal Birr Castle; Ireland 1826 Grande Lunette, Paris Observatory 83 cm + 62 cm (32.67 in + 24.40 in) achromat x2 Meudon, France 1891 83-cm Reflector, Toulouse Observatory reflector-glass Toulouse, France 1875 Potsdam Großer Refraktor Astrophysical Observatory Potsdam 80 cm + 50 cm (31½ in + 29½ in) achromat x2 Potsdam, Deutsches Kaiserreich 1899 Foucault 80 cm, Marseille Observatory reflector-glass Marseille, France 1862–1965 Grand Lunette Bischoffsheim, Nice Observatory achromat Nice, France 1886 Pulkovo observatory achromat Saint Petersburg, Russian Empire 1885–1941/44 Royal Observatory, Greenwich reflector Greenwich, England, UK 1897 28-inch Grubb Refractor – Royal Greenwich Observatory achromat Greenwich, London, Great Britain 1894 Henry Draper 28-inch (Harvard College Observatory since 1889) reflector-glass United States 1871 Großer Refraktor, Vienna Observatory achromat Vienna, Austrian Empire 1880 Great Treptow Refractor, Treptow Observatory achromat Berlin, Germany 1896 McCormick Observatory achromat Charlottesville, Virginia, USA 1883U.S. Naval Observatory achromat Washington, DC, USA 1873 Royal Greenwich Observatory achromat Herstmonceux, Great Britain 1896 Newall TelescoperefractorGateshead, England, UK1869 Lowell Observatory achromat Arizona, USA 1896 Craig telescope achromat Wandsworth Common, London, UK 1852–1857 William Lassell 24-inch reflector – metal Liverpool, England, UK 1845 Royal Observatory, Edinburgh reflector Edinburgh, Scotland, UK 1872 Daramona 24-inch reflector reflector – glass Streete, Ireland 1881–1971 Radcliffe Double Refractor, Radcliffe Observatory 60/45 cm (23.6″/18") achromat x2 Oxford, UK 1901 Halstead Observatory achromat Princeton, New Jersey, USA 1881 Institut technomatique refractor Paris, France 1857 Chamberlin Observatory achromat Colorado, USA 1891 Nasymth 20-inch reflector – metal United KingdomStargazer: The Life and Times of the Telescope, By Fred Watson, page 212 1842 Imperial Observatory (Straßburg) achromat Straßburg/Strasbourg, German Empire/France 1880 Herschel diam.) reflector – metal Observatory House; England, UK 1782–? Schröter 27-foot Newtonian reflector – metal Lilienthal, Lower Saxony (Germany) 1793–1813? 18½-inch Dearborn Observatory Refractor achromat Chicago (1862–1893), Evanston, Illinois (1893), USA 1862 Flower Observatory achromat Philadelphia, USA 1896 Royal Observatory achromat Cape Colony, South Africa, British Empire 1897Scientific American Reference Book. A Manual for the Office, Household and Shop Author Albert A. Hopkins, A. Russell Bond Publisher Munn & Company Year 1905 Copyright 1904, Munn & Company Merz & Mahler Refractor, Pulkovo observatory achromat Saint Petersburg, Russian Empire 1839 Harvard Great Refractor, Harvard College Observatory achromat Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA 1847 Armagh 15-inch Grubb Reflector reflector – metal Armagh Observatory, Northern Ireland 1835 Paris Observatory (Arago Telescope) 38 cm Brunner achromat Paris, France 1857 Lunette coudée, Lyon Observatory 36.6 cm achromat Saint-Genis-Laval, France 1887 Markree Observatory 13.3-inch Grubb/Cauchoix refractor County Sligo, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland 1834 The 12.8 Inch Merz refractor at Royal Greenwich Observatory refractor Greenwich, England 1850s McMillin Observatory 12½-inch refractor Ohio, USA 1895; 1896–1968 Bamberg Refractor, Wilhelm Foerster Observatory (since 1963) in Berlin achromat Urania Observatory, Berlin-Moabit, Prussia / Berlin, Germany 1889–1945Grubb refractor, Keele ObservatoryachromatOxford, England, UK1874 University of Illinois Observatory achromat Urbana, Illinois, USA 1896 Great refractor of Amici (Amici I), Florence Observatory La Specola achromat Florence, Italy 1841 Merz und Mahler (Mitchell cupola), Cincinnati Observatory achromat Cincinnati, Ohio, USA 1843 Repsold Refractor (10-duims), Leiden Observatory achromat Leiden, The Netherlands 1885 Mills Observatory achromat United Kingdom 1871 Fraunhofer Refractor, United States Naval Observatory (Foggy Bottom) achromat Foggy Bottom, D.C., USA 1844Quito Astronomical ObservatoryOne of the Oldest Observatories in South America is the Quito Astronomical Observatory Great refractor Quito, Ecuador 1875 Fraunhofer-Refraktor, Berlin Observatory achromat Berlin-Kreuzberg, Deutsches Kaiserreich (1835–1913) 1835 Great Dorpat Refractor (Fraunhofer) Dorpat/Tartu Observatory achromat Dorpat, Governorate of Livonia, Russian Empire / now Tartu, Estonia 1824Van Monckhoven Telescope23 cmrefractorGhent, Belgium, UGENT Observatory Armand Pien1880Sheepshanks Equatorial of Royal Greenwich Observatory achromat Greenwich, England, UK 1838 Merz Refractor (6-duims), Leiden Observatory achromat Leiden, The Netherlands 1838 Wesleyan University 6-inch Lerebours refractor achromat Connecticut, USA 1836 Shuckburgh telescope achromat Warwickshire, England, UK 1791–1923Utzschneider & Fraunhofer Comet Seeker acrhomat Foggy Bottom, D.C., USA 1843 Ertel Comet SeekerMarkree Observatory 7.62 (3 in) achromat Markree, Ireland 1842–1873 * (First light or Build Completion to Inactive (Retired) or Deconstruction)
See also Lists of telescopes List of largest optical telescopes in the 20th century List of largest optical telescopes in the 18th century List of largest optical reflecting telescopes List of minor planets: 1–1000 (Over 450 Minor planets were discovered in the 19th century)
References
External links List of large reflecting telescopes The World's Largest Optical Telescopes Largest optical telescopes of the world Selected largest telescopes Stellafane telescope links List of largest telescopes circa 1914 Partial list of Fraunhofer refractors