List of largest optical telescopes in the 19th century
Introduction '''List of largest optical telescopes in the 19th century''', are listings of what were, for the time period of the 19th century, large optical telescopes. See List of largest optical telescopes in the 20th century for the 1900s. The list includes various refractors and reflectors that were active some time between about 1799 to 1901.The main reflecting technology early on, speculum metal reflected some 2/3 of light, and also had higher maintenance due to tarnishing. Another technology were the 2-element refractors, which were extensively used in 19th century observatories despite their small apertures compared to the largest metal mirror, and later glass telescopes. The technology for silver-coated glass mirrors was developed in the mid-19th century, but was slow to catch on. A major technology advance of this time was the development of astrophotography, and some telescopes were tailored to this application. Also, a wide variety of scientific instruments were developed, such as for spectroscopy and various astronomical measurements.
Reflectors & 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. Telescopes with lenses, especially achromatic doublets were popular in the 19th century. (see also Great Refractor)(100 cm equals 1 meter)* * *  Name/Observatory Aperture cm (in)  Type  Location then (Original Site)  Extant* Leviathan of Parsonstown  183 cm (72")  reflector – metal  Birr Castle; Ireland 1845–1908? A.A. Common 60-inch  152.4 cm (60")  reflector – glass   England, UK  1891–1904  Herschel 40-foot (1.26 m diam.) 126 cm (49½")   reflector – metal     Observatory House; England, UK   1789–1815  Great Paris Exhibition Telescope of 1900   125 cm (49.21") achromat – siderostat  Paris 1900 Exposition, France  1900–1901  Great Melbourne Telescope  122 cm (48")   reflector – metal  Melbourne Observatory, Australia  1878William Lassell 48-inch 122 cm (48")   reflector – metal  Malta  1861–1865 National Observatory, Paris  1.2 m (47")  reflector-glass  Paris, France  1875–1943 Yerkes Observatory   102 cm (40")  achromat  Williams Bay, Wisconsin, USA  1897 Meudon Observatory 100 cm  100 cm (39.4")   reflector-glass  Meudon Observatory, France 1891James Lick telescope, Lick Observatory  91 cm (36")  achromat  Mount Hamilton, California, USA   1888  Crossley Reflector  91.4 cm (36")  reflector – glass  Lick Observatory, USA  1896  A. A. Common Reflector  91.4 cm (36")   reflector – glass  Great Britain   1880–1896 Rosse 36-inch Telescope (The 3-foot)  91.4 cm (36")    reflector – metal  Birr Castle; Ireland 1826 ''Grande Lunette'', Paris Observatory  83 cm + 62 cm  (32.67" + 24.40")  achromat x2  Meudon, France  1891 83-cm Reflector, Toulouse Observatory 83 cm (32.67") reflector-glass Toulouse, France 1875 Potsdam Großer Refraktor Astrophysical Observatory Potsdam  80 cm + 50 cm  (31½" + 29½") achromat x2  Potsdam, Deutsches Kaiserreich  1899  Focault 80 cm, Marseille Observatory  80 cm (31.5")  reflector-glass  Marseille, France   1862–1965 Grand Lunette Biscoffscheim, Nice Observatory   77 cm (30.3")  achromat  Nice, France  1886 Pulkovo observatory  76 cm (30")  achromat  Saint Petersburg, Russian Empire  1885–1941/44 Royal Observatory, Greenwich  76.2 cm (30")   reflector   Greenwich, England, UK  1897 28-inch Grubb Refractor – Royal Greenwich Observatory  71 cm (28")  achromat  Greenwich, London, Great Britain  1894 Harvard College Observatory   71 cm (28")   reflector  United States  1889 Großer Refraktor, Vienna Observatory 69 cm (26")  achromat  Vienna, Austrian Empire  1880 Great Treptow Refractor, Treptow Observatory  68 cm (26.77")  achromat Berlin, Germany  1896 McCormick Observatory   67 cm (26.37")  achromat  Charlottesville, Virginia, USA  1883U.S. Naval Observatory  66 cm (26")  achromat  Washington, DC, USA  1873 Royal Greenwich Observatory  66 cm (26")  achromat   Herstmonceux, Great Britain  1896  Lowell Observatory  61 cm (24")  achromat   Arizona, USA  1896  Craig telescope   61 cm (24")  achromat  Wandsworth Common, London, UK   1852–1857  William Lassell 24-inch  61 cm (24")    reflector – metal   Liverpool, England, UK 1845 Royal Observatory, Edinburgh  61 cm (24")   reflector    Edinburgh, Scotland, UK  1872 Daramona 24-inch reflector   61 cm (24")  reflector – glass  Streete, Ireland  1881–1971 Radcliffe Double Refractor, Radcliffe Observatory  60/45 cm  (23.6″/18")  achromat x2  Oxford, UK  1901 Halstead Observatory  58.4 cm (23")  achromat  Princeton, New Jersey, USA  1881 Institut technomatique  52 cm (20½")  refractor   Paris, France  1857 Chamberlin Observatory  50 cm (20")  achromat  Colorado, USA  1891  Nasymth 20-inch  50 cm (20")  reflector – metal United Kingdom  1842  Imperial Observatory (Straßburg)  48.5 cm (19.1")  achromat  Straßburg/Strasbourg, German Empire/France  1880  Herschel 20-foot (0.475 m diam.) 47.5 cm (18½")    reflector – metal  Observatory House; England, UK 1782–? Schröter 27 foot Newtonian 47 cm (18½") reflector – metal  Lilienthal, Lower Saxony (Germany)  1793–1813? 18½-inch Dearborn Observatory Refractor  47 cm (18½")  achromat Chicago (1862–1893), Evanston, Illinois (1893), USA  1862 Flower Observatory  46 cm (18")  achromat  Philadelphia, USA   1896 Royal Observatory  46 cm (18")  achromat  Cape Colony, South Africa, British Empire  1897 Merz & Mahler Refractor, Pulkovo observatory  38 cm (15")  achromat  Saint Petersburg, Russian Empire   1839 Harvard Great Refractor, Harvard College Observatory   38 cm (15")  achromat  Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA  1847 Armagh 15-inch Grubb Reflector  38 cm (15")   reflector – metal  Armagh Observatory, Northern Ireland  1835 Paris Observatory (Arago Telescope) 38 cm Brunner  38 cm (15")   achromat  Paris, France  1857 ''Lunette coudée'', Lyon Observatory  36.6 cm   achromat  Saint-Genis-Laval, France  1887   Markree Observatory 13.3-inch Grubb/Cauchoix  34 cm (13.3")  refractor  County Sligo, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland  1834  The 12.8 Inch Merz refractor at Royal Greenwich Observatory  32.5 cm (12.8")  refractor  Greenwich, England  1850s McMillin Observatory 12½-inch   31.75 cm (12½") refractor  Ohio, USA  1895; 1896–1968 Bamberg Refractor, Wilhelm Foerster Observatory (since 1963) in Berlin  31.4 cm (12.36") achromat  Urania Observatory, Berlin-Moabit, Prussia / Berlin, Germany  1889–1945Grubb refractor,  Keele Observatory31 cm (12.25")achromatOxford, England, UK1874 University of Illinois Observatory   30 cm (12")  achromat  Urbana, Illinois, USA  1896  Great refractor of Amici (Amici I), Florence Observatory La Specola  28.4 cm (11.2")  achromat  Florence, Italy  1841 Merz und Mahler (Mitchell cupola), Cincinnati Observatory  28 cm (11")  achromat  Cincinnati, Ohio, USA  1843 Repsold Refractor (10-duims), Leiden Observatory  26.6 cm (10½")  achromat  Leiden, The Netherlands  1885 Mills Observatory  25 cm (10")  achromat  United Kingdom    1871 Fraunhofer Refractor, United States Naval Observatory (Foggy Bottom)  24.4 cm (9.6")  achromat  Foggy Bottom, D.C., USA  1844Quito Astronomical Observatory  24 cm (9½")  Great refractor  Quito, Ecuador  1875 Fraunhofer-Refraktor, Berlin Observatory  24 cm (9.6")  achromat  Berlin-Kreuzberg, Deutsches Kaiserreich (1835–1913)   1835 Great Dorpat Refractor (Fraunhofer) Dorpat/Tartu Observatory  24 cm (9.6")   achromat  Dorpat, Governorate of Livonia, Russian Empire / now Tartu, Estonia   1824Van Monckhoven Telescope23 cmrefractorGhent, Belgium, UGENT Observatory Armand Pien1880Sheepshanks Equatorial of Royal Greenwich Observatory 17 cm (6.7")  achromat  Greenwich, England, UK  1838 Merz Refractor (6-duims), Leiden Observatory  16.6 cm (6½")  achromat  Leiden, The Netherlands  1838 Wesleyan University 6-inch Lerebours refractor  15.24 cm (6")  achromat  Connecticut, USA   1836 Shuckburgh telescope  10 cm (4.1")  achromat  Warwickshire, England, UK  1791–1923Utzschneider & Fraunhofer Comet Seeker  10.2 cm (4")  acrhomat  Foggy Bottom, D.C., USA  1843 Ertel Comet SeekerMarkree Observatory  7.62 (3")  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