List of largest optical telescopes in the 19th century

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 refractor and reflector that were active some time between about 1799 to 1901.

The Leviathan in 1885, a 1.8 (6 foot wide/ 72 inch)) aperture metal-mirror reflecting telescope in Ireland

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)

Legend


Name/Observatory Aperture
cm (in)		 Type Location then (Original Site) Extant*
Leviathan of Parsonstown183 cm (72″)reflector – metalBirr Castle; Ireland
1845–1908?
A.A. Common 60-inch[1]152.4 cm (60″)reflector – glassEngland1891–1904[1]
Herschel 40-foot (1.26 m diam.)[2]126 cm(49.5″)reflector – metalObservatory House; England1789–1815
Great Paris Exhibition Telescope of 1900125 cm (49.21")achromat – siderostatParis 1900 Exposition, France1900–1901
Great Melbourne Telescope[3]122 cm(48″)reflector – metalMelbourne Observatory, Australia1878
William Lassell 48-inch[4]122 cm(48″)reflector – metalMalta1861–1865
National Observatory, Paris1.2 m (47")reflector-glass[5]Paris, France1875–1943[1]
Yerkes Observatory[6]102 cm (40″)achromatWilliams Bay, Wisconsin, USA1897
Meudon Observatory 100 cm[7]100 cm (39.4″)reflector-glassMeudon Observatory, France1891 [8]
James Lick telescope, Lick Observatory91 cm (36″)achromatMount Hamilton, California, USA1888
Crossley Reflector[9]91.4 cm(36″)reflector – glassLick Observatory, USA1896
A.A. Common Reflector91.4 cm(36″)reflector – glassGreat Britain1880–1896
Rosse 36-inch Telescope (The 3-foot)91.4 cm(36″)reflector – metalBirr Castle; Ireland1826
Grande Lunette, Paris Observatory83 cm + 62 cm
(32.67" + 24.40")		achromat x2Meudon, France1891
83-cm Reflector, Toulouse Observatory83cm (32.67")reflector-glassToulouse, France1875[10][11]
Potsdam Großer Refraktor
Astrophysical Observatory Potsdam		80 cm + 50 cm
(31.5"+29.5")		achromat x2Potsdam, Deutsches Kaiserreich1899
Focault 80 cm, Marseille Observatory [12]80 cm (31.5")reflector-glassMarseille, France1862-1965[13]
Grand Lunette Biscoffscheim, Nice Observatory77 cm (30.3″)achromatNice, France[14][15]1886
Pulkovo observatory76 cm (30″)achromatSaint Petersburg, Russian Empire1885
Royal Observatory, Greenwich76.2 cm (30″)reflectorGreenwich, England1897[1]
28-inch Grubb Refractor - Royal Greenwich Observatory71 cm (28″)achromatGreenwich, London, Great Britain1894
Harvard College Observatory71 cm (28″)reflectorUnited States1889[1]
Großer Refraktor, Vienna Observatory69 cm (26″)achromatVienna, Austrian Empire1880[16]
Great Treptow Refractor, Treptow Observatory68 cm (26.77")achromatBerlin, Germany1896
McCormick Observatory67 cm (26.37")achromatCharlottesville, Virginia, USA1883
U.S. Naval Observatory66 cm (26")achromatWashington, DC, USA1873
Quito Astronomical Observatory[17]24 cm (9.5")Great refractorQuito, Ecuador1875
Royal Greenwich Observatory66 cm (26")achromatHerstmonceux, Great Britain1896
Lowell Observatory61 cm (24″)achromatArizona, USA1896
Craig telescope61 cm (24″)achromatWandsworth Common, London[18]1852–1857
William Lassell 24-inch[19]61 cm(24″)reflector – metalLiverpool, England1845
Royal Observatory, Edinburgh61 cm (24″)reflectorGreenwich, England1872[1]
Daramona 24″ reflector[20]61 cm (24″)reflector – glassStreete, Ireland1881–1971
Radcliffe Double Refractor, Radcliffe Observatory60/45 cm
(23.6″/18")		achromat x2Oxford, UK1901
Halstead Observatory58.4 cm (23″)achromatPrinceton, USA1881
Institut technomatique52 cm (20½″)refractorParis1857[21]
Chamberlin Observatory50 cm (20″)achromatColorado, USA1891
Nasymth 20″50 cm (20″)reflector – metalUnited Kingdom[22]1842
Imperial Observatory (Straßburg)48.5 cm (19.1″)achromatStraßburg/Strasbourg, German Empire/France1880[23]
Herschel 20-foot (0.475 m diam.)[24][25]47.5 cm (18.5″)reflector – metalObservatory House; England1782-?
Schröter 27 foot Newtonian[26]47 cm (18.5")reflector – metalLilienthal, Lower Saxony (Germany)1793-1813?
18½-in Dearborn Observatory Refractor47 cm (18.5″)achromatChicago (1862–1893), Evanston, Illinois (1893), USA1862
Flower Observatory46 cm (18″)achromatPhiladelphia, USA1896
Royal Observatory46 cm (18″)achromatCape Colony, British Empire (South Africa)1897 [27]
Merz & Mahler Refractor, Pulkovo observatory[28]38 cm (15″)achromatSaint Petersburg, Russian Empire1839
Harvard Great Refractor, Harvard College Observatory[28]38 cm (15″)achromatCambridge, Massachusetts, USA1847
Armagh 15- inch Grubb Reflector[29]38 cm (15″)reflector – metalArmagh Observatory, Northern Ireland1835[30]
Paris Observatory (Arago Telescope) 38 cm Brunner38 cm (15″)achromatParis, France1857 [31]
Lunette coudée, Lyon Observatory36.6 cmachromatSaint-Genis-Laval, France1887
Markree Observatory 13.3″ Grubb/Cauchoix[30]34 cm (13.3″)refractorCounty Sligo, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland1834[30]
The 12.8 Inch Merz refractor at Royal Greenwich Observatory[32]32.5 cm (12.8″)refractorGreenwich, England1850s
McMillin Observatory 12.5″ [33]31.75 cm(12.5″)refractorOhio, USA1895; 1896-1968
Bamberg Refractor Urania Observatory (Berlin)31.4 cm (12.36")achromatBerlin-Moabit, Prussia / Berlin, Germany1889–1963[34]
Grubb refractor at Keele Observatory 31 cm (12.25") achromat Oxford, England 1874
University of Illinois Observatory30 cm (12″)achromatUrbana, Illinois, USA1896
Great refractor of Amici (Amici I), Florence Observatory La Specola28.4 cm (11.2″)achromatFlorence, Italy1841
Merz und Mahler (Mitchell cupola), Cincinnati Observatory28 cm (11″)achromatCincinnati, Ohio, USA1843
Repsold Refractor (10-duims), Leiden Observatory26.6 cm (10.5″)achromatLeiden, The Netherlands1885
Mills Observatory25 cm (10″)achromatUnited Kingdom1871
Fraunhofer Refractor, United States Naval Observatory (Foggy Bottom)24.4 cm (9.6″)achromatFoggy Bottom, D.C., USA1844 [35]
Fraunhofer-Refraktor Berlin Observatory24 cm (9.6″)achromatBerlin-Kreuzberg, Deutsches Kaiserreich (1835–1913)[36]1835
Great Dorpat Refractor (Fraunhofer) Dorpat/Tartu Observatory24 cm (9.6″)achromatDorpat, Governorate of Livonia/ Tartu, Estonia1824[37][38]
Van Monckhoven Telescope 23 cm refractor Belgium, Ghent, UGENT Observatory Armand Pien 1880
Sheepshanks Equatorial of Royal Greenwich Observatory[39]17 cm (6.7″)achromatGreenwich, England1838
Merz Refractor (6-duims), Leiden Observatory16.6 cm (6.5″)achromatLeiden, The Netherlands1838
Wesleyan University 6-inch Lerebours refractor[40]15.24 cm (6″)achromatConnecticut1836 [41] [42]
Shuckburgh telescope10 cm (4.1″)achromatWarwickshire, England1791–1923
Utzschneider & Fraunhofer Comet Seeker[43]10.2 cm (4″)acrhomatFoggy Bottom, D.C., USA1843
Ertel Comet Seeker
Markree Observatory		7.62 (3″)achromatMarkree, Ireland1842-1873[44]

* (First light or Build Completion to Inactive (Retired) or Deconstruction)

See also

References
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