List of large optical telescopes - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

List of large optical reflecting telescopes. For telescopes larger than 3 meters in aperture see List of largest optical reflecting telescopes. This list combines large or expensive reflecting telescopes from any era, as what constitutes famous reflector has changed over time. In 1900 a 1 meter reflector would be among the largest in the world, but by 2000, would be relatively common for professional observatories.

Large reflectors & catadiotropic

Name	Image	Aperture Aperture In optics, an aperture is a hole or an opening through which light travels. More specifically, the aperture of an optical system is the opening that determines the cone angle of a bundle of rays that come to a focus in the image plane. The aperture determines how collimated the admitted rays are,...	Mirror Telescope A telescope is an instrument that aids in the observation of remote objects by collecting electromagnetic radiation . The first known practical telescopes were invented in the Netherlands at the beginning of the 1600s , using glass lenses... Type	Nationality / Sponsors	Site	Built
See List of largest optical reflecting telescopes* for continuation of list to larger scopes*
Harlan J. Smith Telescope Harlan J. Smith Telescope The Harlan J. Smith Telescope is a 2.7m telescope located at the McDonald Observatory, in Texas, in the United States. This telescope is one of several research telescopes that are part of the University of Texas at Austin observatory perched atop Mount Locke in the Davis Mountains of west Texas...		2.72 m (107.1 in)	Single	USA	McDonald Observatory McDonald Observatory The McDonald Observatory is an astronomical observatory located near the unincorporated community of Fort Davis in Jeff Davis County, Texas, United States. The facility is located on Mount Fowlkes and Mount Locke in the Davis Mountains of West Texas... , Texas, USA	1969
UBC-Laval LMT		2.65 m (104.3 in)	Liquid Liquid mirror Liquid mirror telescopes are telescopes made with a reflective liquid. The most common liquid used is mercury, but other liquids will work as well . The container for the liquid is rotating so that the liquid assumes a paraboloidal shape. A paraboloidal shape is precisely the shape needed for the...	Canada	Vancouver, Canada	1992–
Shajn 2.6m "Crimean 102 in."		2.64 m (103.9 in)	Single		Crimean Astrophysical Obs. Crimean Astrophysical Observatory The Crimean Astrophysical Observatory is located in Ukraine. CrAO has been publishing the Bulletin of the Crimean Astrophysical Observatory since 1947, in English since 1977. The observatory facilities are located near the settlement of Nauchny since the mid-1950s; before that, they were further... , Ukraine	1961
VLT Survey Telescope VLT Survey Telescope The VLT Survey Telescope is the latest telescope to be added to ESO’s Paranal Observatory in the Atacama Desert of northern Chile. It is housed in an enclosure immediately adjacent to the four Very Large Telescope Unit Telescopes on the summit of Cerro Paranal. The VST is a wide-field survey... (VST)			Single	Italy + ESO countries European Southern Observatory The European Southern Observatory is an intergovernmental research organisation for astronomy, supported by fifteen countries...	Paranal Obs. Paranal Observatory Paranal Observatory is an astronomical observatory located on Cerro Paranal at 2,635 m altitude and operated by the European Southern Observatory. The Very Large Telescope is the largest telescope on Paranal, actually composed of four separate 8.2 m telescopes... , Chile	2007
BAO 2.6		2.6 m (102.4 in)	Single		Byurakan Astrophysical Obs.; Mt. Aragatz, Armenia	1976
Nordic Optical Telescope Nordic Optical Telescope The Nordic Optical Telescope is an astronomical telescope located at Roque de los Muchachos Observatory, La Palma in the Canary Islands. First light came in 1988, with regular observing beginning in 1989. It is funded by Denmark, Sweden, Iceland, Norway and Finland... (NOT)		2.56 m (100.8 in)	Single	Denmark, Sweden, Iceland, Norway, Finland	La Palma, Canary Islands	1988
Isaac Newton Telescope Isaac Newton Telescope The Isaac Newton Telescope or INT is a 2.54 m optical telescope run by the ING at Roque de los Muchachos Observatory on La Palma in the Canary Islands since 1984.... (INT)		2.54 m (100 in)	Single	UK	La Palma, Canary Islands (ex- RGO Sussex, England until '79)	1984
Irenee du Pont Telescope		2.54 m (100 in)	Single	USA	Las Campanas Observatory Las Campanas Observatory Las Campanas Observatory is an astronomical observatory owned and operated by the Carnegie Institution for Science It was established in 1969 and remains the primary observing site of that institution. The headquarters is located in La Serena, Chile and the observatory is in the southern Atacama... , Chile	1976
Hooker 100-Inch Telescope Mount Wilson Observatory The Mount Wilson Observatory is an astronomical observatory in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The MWO is located on Mount Wilson, a 5,715 foot peak in the San Gabriel Mountains near Pasadena, northeast of Los Angeles...		2.54 m (100 in)	Single	US	Mt. Wilson Observatory; California	1917
SOFIA Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy The Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy is a joint project of NASA and the German Aerospace Center to construct and maintain an airborne observatory. NASA awarded the contract for the development of the aircraft, operation of the observatory and management of the American part of the...		2.5 m (98.4 in)	Single	USA + Germany	747SP; Stratosphere	2007
Sloan DSS Sloan Digital Sky Survey The Sloan Digital Sky Survey or SDSS is a major multi-filter imaging and spectroscopic redshift survey using a dedicated 2.5-m wide-angle optical telescope at Apache Point Observatory in New Mexico, United States. The project was named after the Alfred P...		2.5 m (98.4 in)	Single	US	Sacramento Peak, New Mexico	1997
Hiltner Telescope		2.4 m (94.5 in)	Single	US	MDM Observatory MDM Observatory The MDM Observatory is an optical astronomical observatory on Kitt Peak , adjacent to Kitt Peak National Observatory. It is owned and operated by the University of Michigan, Dartmouth College, Ohio State University, Columbia University, and Ohio University... , Kitt Peak Kitt Peak Kitt Peak is a mountain in the U.S. state of Arizona. It is the location of the Kitt Peak National Observatory. The radio telescope at the Observatory is one of ten dishes comprising the Very Long Baseline Array .... , Arizona Arizona Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix... , USA	1986
Lijiang		2.4 m (94.5 in)	Single		Lijiang Observatory, China	2007
Hubble Hubble Space Telescope The Hubble Space Telescope is a space telescope that was carried into orbit by a Space Shuttle in 1990 and remains in operation. A 2.4 meter aperture telescope in low Earth orbit, Hubble's four main instruments observe in the near ultraviolet, visible, and near infrared... (HST)		2.4 m (94.5 in)	Single	NASA NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research... +ESA	Low Earth orbit Low Earth orbit A low Earth orbit is generally defined as an orbit within the locus extending from the Earth’s surface up to an altitude of 2,000 km...	1990
2.4-meter SINGLE Telescope		2.4 m (94.5 in)	Single	USA	Magdalena Ridge Observatory Magdalena Ridge Observatory Magdalena Ridge Observatory is an astronomical observatory under construction in Socorro County, New Mexico about 20 miles west of the town of Socorro off the exit for Water Canyon US 60. MRO is an entity of New Mexico Tech's Office of Research and Economic Development... , USA	2006/2008
Automated Planet Finder Automated Planet Finder The Automated Planet Finder Telescope is a fully automated 2.4-meter optical telescope under construction at Lick Observatory designed to search for extrasolar planets in the range of five to twenty times the mass of the Earth. The instrument will examine 25 stars per night. Over a decade, the...		2.4 m (94.5 in)	Single	USA	Lick Observatory Lick Observatory The Lick Observatory is an astronomical observatory, owned and operated by the University of California. It is situated on the summit of Mount Hamilton, in the Diablo Range just east of San Jose, California, USA... , USA	2010
Vainu Bappu		2.34 m (92.1 in)	Single		Vainu Bappu Observatory Vainu Bappu Observatory The Vainu Bappu Observatory, or VBO for short, is an astronomical observatory owned and operated by Indian Institute of Astrophysics. It is located in the Javadi Hills Kavalur, near vaniyambadi of vellore district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, 175 km south-east of... , India	1986
Aristarchos Aristarchos 2.3 m Telescope Project The New Greek Telescope project of the AI-NOA for the 2.3 m Ritchey-Chrétien telescope, funded by the European Commission and the General Secretariat for Research and Technology of the Hellenic Ministry of Development. The telescope had its first light test in 2005, and became the largest telescope...		2.3 m (90.6 in)	Single	ESO Countries ESO ESO, as a three-letter abbreviation, may stand for:* European Southern Observatory* Ensemble Studios Online* English Symphony Orchestra* Edmonton Symphony Orchestra* Executive Stock Options... + Greece	National Observatory of Athens National Observatory of Athens The National Observatory of Athens is a research institute in Athens, Greece. Founded in 1842, it is the oldest research foundation in Greece, as it was the first scientific research institute built after Greece became independent in 1829, and one of the oldest research institutes in Southern... ; Mt. Helmos, Greece	2004
WIRO 2.3		2.3 m (90.6 in)	Single IR	Wyoming, USA	1977
ANU 2.3m ATT		2.3 m (90.6 in)	Single		Siding Spring Obs. Siding Spring Observatory Siding Spring Observatory near Coonabarabran, New South Wales, Australia, part of the Research School of Astronomy & Astrophysics at the Australian National University , incorporates the Anglo-Australian Telescope along with a collection of other telescopes owned by the Australian National... , Australia	1984
Bok Telescope Bok Telescope The Bok Telescope is the largest telescope operated solely by Steward Observatory. It finds much use from astronomers from University of Arizona, Arizona State University, and Northern Arizona University, with instruments capable of both imaging and spectroscopy... (90-inch)		2.3 m (90.6 in)	Single	USA	Steward Obs. Steward Observatory The University of Arizona's Steward Observatorys main office is located on the University's campus and is closely tied to the Department of Astronomy. Established in 1916 by its first director, Andrew Ellicott Douglass, and a $60,000 bequest made by Lavinia Steward in memory of her late husband... ;Kitt Peak Kitt Peak Kitt Peak is a mountain in the U.S. state of Arizona. It is the location of the Kitt Peak National Observatory. The radio telescope at the Observatory is one of ten dishes comprising the Very Long Baseline Array .... , Arizona Arizona Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...	1969
University of Hawaii 2.2 m UH88 The University of Hawai'i 88-inch telescope called UH88, UH2.2, or simply 88 by members of the local astronomical community is situated at the Mauna Kea Observatory and operated by the University's Institute for Astronomy... (UH88)		2.24 m (88.2 in)	Single	USA	Mauna Kea Observatories, Hawaii	1970
MPIA-ESO (ESO-MPI)		2.2 m (86.6 in)	Single	West Germany West Germany West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....	Cerro La Silla, Chile	1984
MPIA-CAHA 2.2m		2.2 m (86.6 in)	Single	West Germany West Germany West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....	Calar Alto Observatory Calar Alto Observatory The Calar Alto Observatory is an astronomical observatory owned and operated jointly by the Max-Planck-Institut für Astronomie in Heidelberg, Germany, and the Instituto... , Spain	1979
Xinglong 2.16m		2.16 m (85 in)	Single	PRC (China)	Xinglong Xinglong Station (NAOC) Xinglong Station is an observatory situated south of the main peak of the Yanshan mountains in Hebei province, China. Installed are seven telescopes: a Mark-III photoelectric astrolabe; a 60cm reflector; an 85cm reflector; a 60/90cm Schmidt telescope; an 1.26m infrared telescope; and a 2.16m... , China	1989
Jorge Sahade 2.15m		2.15 m (84.6 in)	Single		Leoncito Astronomical Complex Leoncito Astronomical Complex The Leoncito Astronomical Complex is an astronomical observatory in the San Juan Province of Argentina. The Leoncito Astronomical Complex is one of two observatories located within El Leoncito National Park, located in an area of the country which rarely sees cloud cover. The other facility is the... , Argentina	1987
INAOE 2.12 (OAGH)		2.12 m (83.5 in)	Single	Mexico + USA	Guillermo Haro Observatory Guillermo Haro Observatory The Guillermo Haro Observatory is an astronomical observatory owned and operated by Instituto Nacional de Astrofísica, Óptica y Electrónica in the Mexican state of Sonora... ; Sonora, Mexico	1987
UNAM 2.12		2.12 m (83.5 in)	Single		NAO National Astronomical Observatory (Mexico) Mexico's National Astronomical Observatory was first established on the balcony of Chapultepec Castle in Mexico City in 1878. It was later moved to Tacubaya, then on the outskirts of the city, a location remembered in the Observatorio station of the Mexico City Metro, situated nearby... ; San Pedro, Mexico	1979
Kitt Peak 2.1-meter		2.1 m (82.7 in)	Single	USA	Kitt Peak (KNPO) Kitt Peak National Observatory The Kitt Peak National Observatory is a United States astronomical observatory located on 2,096 m Kitt Peak of the Quinlan Mountains in the Arizona-Sonoran Desert on the Tohono O'odham Nation, southwest of Tucson... , USA	1964
Otto Struve Telescope Otto Struve Telescope The Otto Struve Telescope was the first major telescope to be built at McDonald Observatory. Located in the Davis Mountains in West Texas, the Otto Struve Telescope was designed by Warner & Swasey Company and constructed between 1933 and 1939 by the Paterson-Leitch Company. Its 2.1 meter mirror...		2.08 m (81.9 in)	Single	USA	McDonald Observatory McDonald Observatory The McDonald Observatory is an astronomical observatory located near the unincorporated community of Fort Davis in Jeff Davis County, Texas, United States. The facility is located on Mount Fowlkes and Mount Locke in the Davis Mountains of West Texas... , USA	1939
T13 Automated Spectroscopic Telescope Tennessee Spectroscopic Survey Telescope		2.06 m (81.1 in)	Single	USA (NASA, NSF, & TSU Tennessee State University Tennessee State University is a land-grant university located in Nashville, Tennessee. TSU is the only state-funded historically black university in Tennessee.-History:... )	Fairborn Observatory, Washington Camp, Arizona (TSU AAG)	2003
Himalayan Chandra Telescope (HCT)		2.01 m (79.1 in)	Single		Indian Astronomical Observatory Indian Astronomical Observatory The Indian Astronomical Observatory , located near Leh in Ladakh, India, has one of the world's highest sites for optical, infrared and gamma-ray telescopes. It is operated by the Indian Institute of Astrophysics, Bengaluru. It is currently the second highest optical telescope in the... , India	2000
Alfred Jensch Teleskop		2 m (78.7 in)	Single		Karl Schwarzschild Observatory Karl Schwarzschild Observatory The Karl-Schwarzschild-Observatorium is an astronomical observatory owned and operated by the institute of Thüringer Landessternwarte ’Karl Schwarzschild’ Tautenburg. In 1992 it was acquired by the state of Thuringia... , Germany	1960
Carl Zeiss Jena		2 m (78.7 in)	Single		Shamakhi Astrophysical Obs. Shamakhi Astrophysical Observatory The Nasīr al-Dīn al-Tūsī Shamakhi Astrophysical Observatory is located in Shamakhi, Azerbaijan, on the northern-eastern slope of the Pirqulu mountain, at an altitude of 1,435 m... , Azerbaijan	1966
Ondřejov 2-m		2 m (78.7 in)	Single	USSR + Czechoslovakia	Ondřejov Observatory Ondrejov Observatory The Ondřejov Observatory is the principal observatory of the Astronomical Institute of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic. It is located near the village of Ondřejov, 35 km southeast of Prague.... , Czech	1967
Ritchey-Chretien-Coude (RCC)		2 m (78.7 in)	Single		Rozhen Observatory Rozhen Observatory Rozhen Observatory is a Bulgarian astronomical observatory, located 90 km south of the city of Plovdiv, Bulgaria. The nearest town, Chepelare, is 15 km away. It is owned and operated by the Institute of Astronomy of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences. The Observatory is one of the largest in Europe... , Bulgaria	1984
Carl Zeiss Jena		2 m (78.7 in)	Single		Main Ukraine Obs., Ukraine
Bernard Lyot Telescope Bernard Lyot Telescope The Bernard Lyot Telescope is a 2 m Cassegrain telescope operating in the visible domain, since 1980. It is located at 2877 m elevation on the Pic du Midi in the French Pyrenees...		2 m (78.7 in)	Single	France	Pic du Midi Obs., France	1980
Liverpool Telescope Liverpool Telescope The Liverpool Telescope is a fully robotic telescope that observes autonomously, i.e. it operates without human intervention. Professional astronomers and other registered users submit observation specifications to be considered by the telescope's robotic control system at any time of the day or...		2 m (78.7 in)	Single	UK	ORM Roque de los Muchachos Observatory Roque de los Muchachos Observatory is an astronomical observatory located in the municipality of Garafía on the island of La Palma in the Canary Islands... , Canary Islands	2003
Faulkes Telescope North Faulkes Telescope North The Faulkes Telescope North is a clone of the Liverpool Telescope, and is located at Haleakala Observatory in the U.S. state of Hawaii.The telescope is owned and operated by LCOGT. This telescope and its sister telescope Faulkes Telescope South are used by research and education groups across the...		2 m (78.7 in)	Single	UK	Haleakala Observatory Haleakala Observatory The Haleakala High Altitude Observatory site, on the Island of Maui is the site of Hawaii's first astronomical research observatory. At elevation, Haleakala is above one third of the Earth's atmosphere... , Hawaii	2003
Faulkes Telescope South Faulkes Telescope South The Faulkes Telescope South is a clone of the Liverpool Telescope and is located at Siding Spring Observatory. It is a Ritchey-Chrétien telescope....		2 m (78.7 in)	Single	UK	Siding Spring Obs. Siding Spring Observatory Siding Spring Observatory near Coonabarabran, New South Wales, Australia, part of the Research School of Astronomy & Astrophysics at the Australian National University , incorporates the Anglo-Australian Telescope along with a collection of other telescopes owned by the Australian National... , Australia	2001
MAGNUM Multicolor Active Galactic Nuclei Monitoring Multicolor Active Galactic Nuclei Monitoring or MAGNUM is project started in 1995, and with observations starting in 2000 using 2m reflecting telescope for scientific study of active galactic nuclei. The telescope is run by the University of Tokyo and other Japanese academic institutions. MAGNUM...		2 m (78.7 in)	Single IR	Japan	Haleakala Obs. Haleakala Observatory The Haleakala High Altitude Observatory site, on the Island of Maui is the site of Hawaii's first astronomical research observatory. At elevation, Haleakala is above one third of the Earth's atmosphere... , USA	2001

Selected telescopes below about 2 meters aperture

A non-comprehensive non-exclusionary list of telescopes one yard to less than 2 metres in aperture.

Name	Aperture Aperture In optics, an aperture is a hole or an opening through which light travels. More specifically, the aperture of an optical system is the opening that determines the cone angle of a bundle of rays that come to a focus in the image plane. The aperture determines how collimated the admitted rays are,... m	Aper. in	Mirror type Telescope A telescope is an instrument that aids in the observation of remote objects by collecting electromagnetic radiation . The first known practical telescopes were invented in the Netherlands at the beginning of the 1600s , using glass lenses...	Nationality of Sponsors	Site	Built
OHP 1.93	1.93 m	76″	Single	France	Haute-Provence Observatory Haute-Provence Observatory The Observatoire de Haute-Provence was established in 1937 as a national facility for French astronomers. Astronomical observations began in 1943 using the 1.20 m telescope, and the first research papers based on observations made at the observatory were published in 1944... , France	1958
74 inch (1.9 m) Radcliffe Telescope	1.88 m	74″	Single		South African Astronomical Obs. Sutherland (1974 – present) Radcliffe Observatory (1948– 1974)	1950
1.88 m telescope	1.88 m	74″	Single	Japan	Okayama Astrophysical Observatory, Japan	1960
DDO 1.88 m	1.88 m	74″	Single	Canada	David Dunlap Observatory David Dunlap Observatory The David Dunlap Observatory is a large astronomical observatory site once owned by the University of Toronto, located just north of the city in Richmond Hill, Ontario within a estate. Its primary instrument is a 74-inch reflector telescope, at one time the second largest telescope in the world,... , Ontario	1935
74" reflector	1.88 m	74″	Single	Australia	Mount Stromlo Observatory Mount Stromlo Observatory Mount Stromlo Observatory located just outside of Canberra, Australia, is part of the Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics at the Australian National University .-History:... , Australia	1955–2003
Kottamia telescope 1.88 m	1.88 m	74″	Single	Egypt	Egypt	1960
SETI Optical Telescope	1.83 m	72″	Single	USA	Oak Ridge Observatory Oak Ridge Observatory The Oak Ridge Observatory, also known as the George R. Agassiz Station, is located at 42 Pinnacle Road, Harvard, Massachusetts, and was formerly operated by the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics as a facility of the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory .The observatory was established in... , Massachusetts Massachusetts The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...	2006
Vatican Advanced Technology Telescope Vatican Advanced Technology Telescope The Vatican Advanced Technology Telescope, aka the VATT, is a 1.8 meter Gregorian telescope observing in the optical and infrared. It is part of the Mount Graham International Observatory. It is situated on Mount Graham in southeast Arizona, and it achieved 'first light', the first starlight to... (VATT)	1.83 m	72″	Single	Vatican City	Mount Graham International Observatory Mount Graham International Observatory Mount Graham International Observatory is a division of Steward Observatory the research arm for the Department of Astronomy at The University of Arizona. It is located in southeast Arizona's Pinaleno Mountains near Mount Graham.... , Arizona Arizona Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...	1993
72-Inch Perkins Telescope	1.83 m	72″	Single	USA	Lowell Observatory Lowell Observatory Lowell Observatory is an astronomical observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona. Lowell Observatory was established in 1894, placing it among the oldest observatories in the United States, and was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1965.... , Anderson Mesa Anderson Mesa Lowell Observatory, Anderson Mesa Station, USA, was established in 1959 as a dark-sky observing site for Lowell Observatory. Anderson Mesa is now home to several large reflecting telescopes that are used for observing programs such as LONEOS... USA	1964
Plaskett telescope	1.83 m	72″	Single	Great Britain	Dominion Astrophysical Observatory Dominion Astrophysical Observatory The Dominion Astrophysical Observatory, located on Observatory Hill, in Saanich, British Columbia, was completed in 1918 by the Canadian government. Proposed and designed by John S... , Canada	1918
Leviathan of Parsonstown Leviathan of Parsonstown Leviathan of Parsonstown is the unofficial name of the Rosse six foot telescope. This is a historic reflecting telescope of 72 in aperture, which was the largest telescope in the world from 1845 until the construction of the 100 in Hooker Telescope in 1917...	1.83 m	72″	Metal Speculum metal Speculum metal is a mixture of around two-thirds copper and one-third tin making a white brittle alloy that can be polished to make a highly reflective surface. It is used primarily to make different kinds of mirrors including early reflecting telescope optical mirrors...	Great Britain	Birr Castle Birr Castle Birr Castle is a large castle in the town of Birr in County Offaly, Ireland. It is the home of the seventh Earl of Rosse, and as such the residential areas of the castle are not open to the public, though the grounds and gardens of the demesne are publicly accessible.-Ireland's Historic Science... ; Ireland Historical recreation	1845
Copernico 1.82 m	1.82 m	72″	Single	Italy	Asiago Observatory, Italy (1350 m)	1976
Pan-STARRS Pan-STARRS The Panoramic Survey Telescope and Rapid Response System is a planned array of astronomical cameras and telescopes and computing facility that will survey the sky on a continual basis, including accurate astrometry and photometry of detected objects... PS1	1.8 m	71″	Single	Germany, Taiwan, US, UK	Mount Haleakala, USA	2007
VLT Auxiliary Telescopes (1.8 x 4)	1.8 m	71″	Single	Europe	VLT Very Large Telescope The Very Large Telescope is a telescope operated by the European Southern Observatory on Cerro Paranal in the Atacama Desert of northern Chile. The VLT consists of four individual telescopes, each with a primary mirror 8.2m across, which are generally used separately but can be used together to... , Chile	2006
Spacewatch 1.8-meter Telescope	1.8 m	71″	Single	USA	Kitt Peak National Observatory Kitt Peak National Observatory The Kitt Peak National Observatory is a United States astronomical observatory located on 2,096 m Kitt Peak of the Quinlan Mountains in the Arizona-Sonoran Desert on the Tohono O'odham Nation, southwest of Tucson... , USA	2001
1.8m Ritchey Cretien reflector	1.8 m	72″	Single	Korea Korea Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...	Bohyunsan Optical Astronomy Observatory, Korea	1996
Sandy Cross Telescope	1.8 m	71″	Single	Canada	Rothney Astrophysical Observatory	1996
69-inch Perkins Telescope	1.75 m	69″	Single	USA	Perkins Observatory Perkins Observatory Perkins Observatory is an astronomical observatory in Delaware, Ohio. It is owned and operated by Ohio Wesleyan University.-Early history:The observatory is named for Hiram Perkins, a professor of mathematics and astronomy at the Ohio Wesleyan University in Delaware, Ohio from 1857 to 1907... , Ohio	1931–1964
1.65 m telescope	1.65 m	65″	Single		Moletai Astronomical Obs. Moletai Astronomical Observatory The Molėtai Astronomical Observatory is an astronomical observatory owned and operated by the Institute of Theoretical Physics and Astronomy of Lithuania... , Lithuania	1991
McMath-Pierce Solar Telescope McMath-Pierce Solar Telescope The McMath-Pierce Solar Telescope is a 1.6-m f/54 reflecting solar telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory in Arizona, USA. The building was designed by Myron Goldsmith and built in 1962. It is the largest telescope of its kind in the world and is named for astronomers Robert McMath and Keith...	1.61 m	63″	Single	USA	Kitt Peak National Obs. Kitt Peak National Observatory The Kitt Peak National Observatory is a United States astronomical observatory located on 2,096 m Kitt Peak of the Quinlan Mountains in the Arizona-Sonoran Desert on the Tohono O'odham Nation, southwest of Tucson... , USA	1962
BBO NST	1.6 m	63″	Solar	USA	Big Bear Solar Obs. Big Bear Solar Observatory The Big Bear Solar Observatory is an astronomical telescopic observatory with main interests in studying the physics of the Sun. The instruments and telescopes of the observatory are designed and employed specifically for studying the activities and phenomena of our solar system's star... , USA	2009
AZT-33	1.6 m	63″	Single		Sayan Solar Observatory, Siberia Siberia Siberia is an extensive region constituting almost all of Northern Asia. Comprising the central and eastern portion of the Russian Federation, it was part of the Soviet Union from its beginning, as its predecessor states, the Tsardom of Russia and the Russian Empire, conquered it during the 16th...	1981
1.6 m Perkin Elmer	1.6 m	63″	Single	Brasilia Brasília Brasília is the capital city of Brazil. The name is commonly spelled Brasilia in English. The city and its District are located in the Central-West region of the country, along a plateau known as Planalto Central. It has a population of about 2,557,000 as of the 2008 IBGE estimate, making it the...	Pico dos Dias Observatory Pico dos Dias Observatory Pico dos Dias ObservatoryOrganizationLNA LocationMinas Gerais, BrazilCoordinatesAltitude 1,864 meters WebpageTelescopesPerkin-Elmer 1.6 meter Cassegrain reflectorBoller and Chivens0.6 meter Ritchey-Chrétien reflector... , Brazil	1981
Observatoire du Mont-Mégantic	1.6 m	63″	Single IR	Canada	Mont Mégantic Observatory Mont Mégantic Observatory The Observatoire du Mont-Mégantic is an astronomical observatory owned and operated jointly by the Université de Montréal, the Université Laval and the McGill University... , Canada	1978
Kaj Strand Telescope	1.55 m	61″	Single	USA	United States Naval Observatory Flagstaff Station United States Naval Observatory Flagstaff Station The United States Naval Observatory Flagstaff Station , is a scientific astronomical observatory operated as a Navy Echelon V command and the national dark-sky observing Facility/observatory subordinate to the United States Naval Observatory . USNO and NOFS are commands within the CNMOC claimancy,... (NOFS) >Flagstaff, AZ,USA	1964
61" Kuiper Telescope	1.55 m	61″	Single	USA	Steward Obs. Steward Observatory The University of Arizona's Steward Observatorys main office is located on the University's campus and is closely tied to the Department of Astronomy. Established in 1916 by its first director, Andrew Ellicott Douglass, and a $60,000 bequest made by Lavinia Steward in memory of her late husband... , Mt. Bigelow Santa Catalina Mountains The Santa Catalina Mountains, commonly referred to as the Catalina Mountains, are located north, and northeast of Tucson, Arizona, United States, on Tucson's north perimeter. The mountain range is the most prominent in the Tucson area, with the highest average elevation... , USA	1965
Oak Ridge Observatory 61" reflector	1.55 m	61″	Single	USA	Oak Ridge Observatory Oak Ridge Observatory The Oak Ridge Observatory, also known as the George R. Agassiz Station, is located at 42 Pinnacle Road, Harvard, Massachusetts, and was formerly operated by the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics as a facility of the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory .The observatory was established in... , Massachusetts Massachusetts The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010... , USA	1933
Toppo Telescope No.1 (TT1)	1.537 m	60.5″	Single (R/C)	Italy	Astronomical Observatory of Castelgrande, Italy (1250m)	2008
Harvard 60-inch Reflector	1.524 m	60″	Single	US	Harvard College Observatory Harvard College Observatory The Harvard College Observatory is an institution managing a complex of buildings and multiple instruments used for astronomical research by the Harvard University Department of Astronomy. It is located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA, and was founded in 1839... , USA	1905–1931
Hale 60-Inch Telescope Mount Wilson Observatory The Mount Wilson Observatory is an astronomical observatory in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The MWO is located on Mount Wilson, a 5,715 foot peak in the San Gabriel Mountains near Pasadena, northeast of Los Angeles...	1.524 m	60″	Single	US	Mt. Wilson Observatory; California	1908
Dunn Solar Telescope ex-VTT	1.524 m	60″	Single	USA	National Solar Obs. National Solar Observatory The mission of the National Solar Observatory is to advance knowledge of the Sun, both as an astronomical object and as the dominant external influence on Earth, by providing forefront observational opportunities to the research community... -Sacramento Peak, USA	1969
FLWO 1.5m Tillinghast	1.52 m	60″	Single	US	F. L. Whipple Obs. Fred Lawrence Whipple Observatory The Fred Lawrence Whipple Observatory is an astronomical observatory owned and operated by the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory and is their largest field installation outside of their main site in Cambridge, MA... , Arizona Arizona Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...	1994
Telescopio Carlos Sánchez Telescopio Carlos Sánchez The Telescopio Carlos Sánchez is a 1.52 m Dall-Kirkham type infrared telescope with an equatorial mount and an f/13.8 Cassegrain focus. It is located at Observatorio del Teide on Tenerife, and is operated by the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias... (TCS)	1.52 m	60″	Single	UK + Spain	Teide Observatory Teide Observatory The Observatorio del Teide is an astronomical observatory on Tenerife operated by the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias. Opened in 1964, it became one of the first major international observatories, attracting telescopes from different countries around the world because of the good astronomical...	1971
OHP 1.52	1.52 m	60″	Single	France	Haute-Provence Obs. Haute-Provence Observatory The Observatoire de Haute-Provence was established in 1937 as a national facility for French astronomers. Astronomical observations began in 1943 using the 1.20 m telescope, and the first research papers based on observations made at the observatory were published in 1944... , France	1967
Mt. Lemmon 60" Telescope	1.52 m	60″	Single IR	USA	Steward Observatory Steward Observatory The University of Arizona's Steward Observatorys main office is located on the University's campus and is closely tied to the Department of Astronomy. Established in 1916 by its first director, Andrew Ellicott Douglass, and a $60,000 bequest made by Lavinia Steward in memory of her late husband... , Mount Lemmon Mount Lemmon Mount Lemmon is in the Santa Catalina Mountains located in the Coronado National Forest north of Tucson, Arizona, United States. It is above sea-level, and receives approximately 180 inches of snow annually. Mount Lemmon was named in honor of botanist Sarah Lemmon, who trekked to the top of... , USA	1970
OAN 1.52 m	1.52 m	60″	Single	Spain	Calar Alto Observatory Calar Alto Observatory The Calar Alto Observatory is an astronomical observatory owned and operated jointly by the Max-Planck-Institut für Astronomie in Heidelberg, Germany, and the Instituto... , Spain	1970s
1.52 m G.D. Cassini	1.52 m	60″	Single	Italy	Mount Orzale, Italy	1976
TIRGO Gornergrat Infrared Telescope Gornergrat Infrared Telescope The Telescopio InfraRosso del Gornergrat is located on the northern tower of the Kulm Hotel at Gornergrat near Zermatt, Switzerland. It was a Cassegrain telescope with a tip-tilt correcting secondary and optimized for infrared observations, but was decommissioned in March 2005...	1.50 m	59″	Single IR	Italy + Switzerland	Hochalpine Forschungsstation Jungfraujoch und Gornergrat, Alps Alps The Alps is one of the great mountain range systems of Europe, stretching from Austria and Slovenia in the east through Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Germany to France in the west.... , Switzerland (3150 m)	1979–2005
AZT-22	1.5 m	59″	Single		Mount Maidanak, Uzbekistan	1972
RTT150 (ex-AZT-22)	1.5 m	59″	Single	Russia + Turkey	TUBITAK National Obs. TUBITAK National Observatory TUBITAK Ulusal Gozlemevi, that is, TUBITAK National Observatory, is operated under the administration of TUG Institute of TUBITAK , and located approximately 50 kilometers south-west of Antalya, Turkey. There are four telescopes which have sizes 0.40 , 0.45 , 1.5 meter and 1 meter... , Turkey
AZT-20	1.5 m	59″	Single		Assy-Turgen Observatory, Kazakhstan
AZT-12	1.5 m	59″	Single	USSR	Tartu Observatory Tartu Observatory The Tartu Observatory is the largest astronomical observatory in Estonia. It is located on the Tõravere hill, about 20 km south-west of Tartu in Nõo Parish, Tartu County... , Estonia	1976
Hexapod-Telescope (HPT) Hexapod-Telescope The Hexapod-Telescope is a design of telescope mounting developed by engineers of the company Vertex in collaboration with astronomers of the Astronomy Department of the Ruhr-Universität Bochum in Germany....	1.5 m	59″	Single	Germany	Bochum Bochum Bochum is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, western Germany. It is located in the Ruhr area and is surrounded by the cities of Essen, Gelsenkirchen, Herne, Castrop-Rauxel, Dortmund, Witten and Hattingen.-History:... , Germany Atacama Desert Atacama Desert The Atacama Desert is a plateau in South America, covering a strip of land on the Pacific coast, west of the Andes mountains. It is, according to NASA, National Geographic and many other publications, the driest desert in the world... , Chile	2005
OSN 1.5m (Nasmyth)	1.5 m	59″	Single	Spain	Sierra Nevada Obs. Sierra Nevada Observatory The Observatorio de Sierra Nevada is located at Loma de Dilar in the Sierra Nevada mountain range, in the province of Granada, established in 1981... , Spain (2896 m)
Persona-1 (C.2441) Persona (satellite) Persona is a class of Russian reconnaissance satellites, derived from the Resurs DK class of remote sensing satellite, itself derived from the Soviet Yantar reconnaissance satellites...	1.5 m	59″	Korsch Korsch telescope A Korsch telescope is a three-mirror telescope with a wide field of view, whose design ensures that there is little stray light in the focal plane...	Russia	Earth Orbit (SSO Sun-synchronous orbit A Sun-synchronous orbit is a geocentric orbit which combines altitude and inclination in such a way that an object on that orbit ascends or descends over any given point of the Earth's surface at the same local mean solar time. The surface illumination angle will be nearly the same every time... , terrestrial viewing)	2008
SkyMapper SkyMapper SkyMapper is a fully automated 1.35m wide-angle optical telescope at Siding Spring Observatory in northern New South Wales, Australia. It is one of the telescopes of the Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics of the Australian National University...	1.35	53.15″	Single	Australia	Siding Spring Observatory Siding Spring Observatory Siding Spring Observatory near Coonabarabran, New South Wales, Australia, part of the Research School of Astronomy & Astrophysics at the Australian National University , incorporates the Anglo-Australian Telescope along with a collection of other telescopes owned by the Australian National... , Australia (1163 m)	2008
USNOFS 1.3m	1.3 m	51″	Single	USA	United States Naval Observatory Flagstaff Station United States Naval Observatory Flagstaff Station The United States Naval Observatory Flagstaff Station , is a scientific astronomical observatory operated as a Navy Echelon V command and the national dark-sky observing Facility/observatory subordinate to the United States Naval Observatory . USNO and NOFS are commands within the CNMOC claimancy,... > (NOFS), Flagstaff, AZ, USA	1998
McGraw-Hill Telescope	1.27 m	50″	Single	USA	MDM Observatory MDM Observatory The MDM Observatory is an optical astronomical observatory on Kitt Peak , adjacent to Kitt Peak National Observatory. It is owned and operated by the University of Michigan, Dartmouth College, Ohio State University, Columbia University, and Ohio University... , Arizona (1975 – present) Stinchfield Woods, Michigain (1969–1975)	1969
Herschel 40-foot 40-foot telescope William Herschel's 40-foot telescope, also known as the Great Forty-Foot telescope, was a reflecting telescope constructed between 1785 and 1789 at Observatory House in Slough, England. It used a 120 cm diameter primary mirror with a 12 m long focal length . It was the largest telescope in... (1.26 m d.)	1.26 m	49.5″	Metal Speculum metal Speculum metal is a mixture of around two-thirds copper and one-third tin making a white brittle alloy that can be polished to make a highly reflective surface. It is used primarily to make different kinds of mirrors including early reflecting telescope optical mirrors...	Great Britain + Ireland	Observatory House Observatory House Observatory House was an observatory in Slough, England. It was built, run and used by the astronomer William Herschel, and his sister Caroline. The famous '40-foot telescope' - at that time the largest in the world - was housed there in the late 18th century and early 19th century.The main house... ; England	1789–1815
AZT-11	1.25 m	49″	Single		Abastumani Observatory, Georgia (the country)	1976
AZT-11	1.25 m	49″	Single		Crimean Astrophysical Obs. Crimean Astrophysical Observatory The Crimean Astrophysical Observatory is located in Ukraine. CrAO has been publishing the Bulletin of the Crimean Astrophysical Observatory since 1947, in English since 1977. The observatory facilities are located near the settlement of Nauchny since the mid-1950s; before that, they were further... , Ukraine	1981
MPIA 1.2	1.23 m	48.4″	Single	West Germany West Germany West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990.... +Spain	Calar Alto Obs. Calar Alto Observatory The Calar Alto Observatory is an astronomical observatory owned and operated jointly by the Max-Planck-Institut für Astronomie in Heidelberg, Germany, and the Instituto... , Spain	1975
Babelsberg Zeiss	1.22 m	48″	Single	Germany	Babelsberg Observatory; Berlin, Germany	1924–1947
Galileo 1.22 m	1.22 m	48″	Single	Italy	Asiago Observatory, Italy	1942
Samuel Oschin telescope Samuel Oschin telescope The Samuel Oschin telescope is a 48-inch aperture Schmidt camera at the Palomar Observatory in northern San Diego County, California. It consists of a 49.75-inch Schmidt corrector plate and a 72-inch mirror. The instrument is strictly a camera; there is no provision for an eyepiece to look...	1.22 m	48″	Schmidt Schmidt camera A Schmidt camera, also referred to as the Schmidt telescope, is a catadioptric astrophotographic telescope designed to provide wide fields of view with limited aberrations. Other similar designs are the Wright Camera and Lurie-Houghton telescope....	USA	Palomar Observatory Palomar Observatory Palomar Observatory is a privately owned observatory located in San Diego County, California, southeast of Pasadena's Mount Wilson Observatory, in the Palomar Mountain Range. At approximately elevation, it is owned and operated by the California Institute of Technology... ; California	1948
Great Melbourne Telescope Great Melbourne Telescope The Great Melbourne Telescope was built by Thomas Grubb in Dublin, Ireland in 1868, and installed at the Melbourne Observatory in Melbourne, Australia in 1869.The telescope had a speculum primary mirror, and was mounted on an equatorial mounting...	1.22 m	48″	Metal Speculum metal Speculum metal is a mixture of around two-thirds copper and one-third tin making a white brittle alloy that can be polished to make a highly reflective surface. It is used primarily to make different kinds of mirrors including early reflecting telescope optical mirrors...	Great Britain	Melbourne Observatory Melbourne Observatory Melbourne Observatory was founded in 1862 to serve as a scientific research institution for the rapidly growing city of Melbourne, the capital of the colony of Victoria. The observatory was tasked by the Victorian government with maintaining an accurate time reference for the colony through... , Australia	1878–1889
William Lassell 48-inch	1.22 m	48″	Metal Speculum metal Speculum metal is a mixture of around two-thirds copper and one-third tin making a white brittle alloy that can be polished to make a highly reflective surface. It is used primarily to make different kinds of mirrors including early reflecting telescope optical mirrors...	Great Britain	Malta	1861–1865
Barabarella (OMI 48 inch)	1.22 m	48″	Single	USA	Lowrey Observatory, Texas, USA	2008
Oskar-Lühning Telescope	1.2 m	47″	Single	Germany	Hamburg Observatory, Germany	1975
Leonhard Euler Telescope Leonhard Euler Telescope Leonhard Euler Telescope, or Swiss 1.2-m Leonhard Euler Telescope, is a diameter aperture reflecting telescope at the Geneva Observatory at La Silla Observatory. It is use for astronomy, and runs the CORALIE echelle spectrograph to search for planets. Its first planet discovery was of one in orbit...	1.2 m	47″	Single	Switzerland	La Silla, Chile	1998
Mercator Telescope Mercator Telescope The Mercator Telescope is a 1.2m telescope, operated by the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven , Belgium, in collaboration with the Observatory of the University of Geneva. It is named after Gerard Mercator, famous cartographer....	1.2 m	47″	Single	Belgium+Switzerland	ORM Roque de los Muchachos Observatory Roque de los Muchachos Observatory is an astronomical observatory located in the municipality of Garafía on the island of La Palma in the Canary Islands... ; La Palma La Palma La Palma is the most north-westerly of the Canary Islands. La Palma has an area of 706 km2 making it the fifth largest of the seven main Canary Islands... , Canary Islands	2001
Hamburg Robotic Telescope (HRT)	1.2 m	47″	Single	Germany	Hamburg-Bergdorf Obs., Germany	2002
UK Schmidt Telescope UK Schmidt Telescope The 1.2 metre UK Schmidt Telescope is operated by the Australian Astronomical Observatory , and located adjacent to the 3.9 metre Anglo-Australian Telescope at Siding Spring Observatory, Australia...	1.2 m	47″	Schmidt Schmidt camera A Schmidt camera, also referred to as the Schmidt telescope, is a catadioptric astrophotographic telescope designed to provide wide fields of view with limited aberrations. Other similar designs are the Wright Camera and Lurie-Houghton telescope....	UK	Siding Spring Observatory Siding Spring Observatory Siding Spring Observatory near Coonabarabran, New South Wales, Australia, part of the Research School of Astronomy & Astrophysics at the Australian National University , incorporates the Anglo-Australian Telescope along with a collection of other telescopes owned by the Australian National... , Australia	1973
GeoEye-1 GeoEye-1 GeoEye-1 is a high-resolution earth observation satellite owned by GeoEye, which was launched in September 2008.-History:On December 1, 2004, General Dynamics C4 Systems announced it had been awarded a contract worth approximately $209 million to build the OrbView-5 satellite...	1.1 m	43.3″	Single	USA	Earth Orbit (terrestrial viewing)	2008
Hänssgen's reflector	1.07 m	42″	Single	Germany	Mobile (~Germany)	2002
Nickel Telescope	1.02 m	40″	Single	USA	Lick Observatory Lick Observatory The Lick Observatory is an astronomical observatory, owned and operated by the University of California. It is situated on the summit of Mount Hamilton, in the Diablo Range just east of San Jose, California, USA... , USA	1979
UTAS 40-inch	1.02 m	40"	R/C	Australia	Mt. Canopus Canopus Hill Observatory The Canopus Hill Observatory is an optical astronomy observatory belonging to the University of Tasmania , It is located approximately 12 km from Hobart in Tasmania, Australia and is a host of Canopus 1 m telescope... , Cambridge, Tasmania Tasmania Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...	1973
George Ritchey 40-inch (1 m)	1.02 m	40″	R/C	USA	United States Naval Observatory Flagstaff Station United States Naval Observatory Flagstaff Station The United States Naval Observatory Flagstaff Station , is a scientific astronomical observatory operated as a Navy Echelon V command and the national dark-sky observing Facility/observatory subordinate to the United States Naval Observatory . USNO and NOFS are commands within the CNMOC claimancy,... , Flagstaff, Arizona (USNO, Washington, D.C. until 1955)	1934
Yerkes "41-inch"	1.02 m	40″	Single	USA	Yerkes Observatory Yerkes Observatory Yerkes Observatory is an astronomical observatory operated by the University of Chicago in Williams Bay, Wisconsin. The observatory, which calls itself "the birthplace of modern astrophysics," was founded in 1897 by George Ellery Hale and financed by Charles T. Yerkes... , USA	1968
ZIMLAT	1 m	39.4″	Single	Switzerland	Zimmerwald Obs. Zimmerwald Observatory Observatorium Zimmerwald is an astronomical observatory owned and operated by the Astronomisches Institut der Universität Bern . Built in 1956, it is located 10 kilometers south of Bern, Switzerland near Zimmerwald.The 1 meter aperture ZIMLAT telescope was inaugurated in 1997.-External links:*... , Switzerland	1997
OGS Telescope OGS Telescope The OGS telescope, installed in the Teide Observatory, has been built by Carl Zeiss, is owned by ESA and is operated by the IAC ....	1 m	39.4″	Single	European Space Agency European Space Agency The European Space Agency , established in 1975, is an intergovernmental organisation dedicated to the exploration of space, currently with 18 member states... countries	Teide Observatory Teide Observatory The Observatorio del Teide is an astronomical observatory on Tenerife operated by the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias. Opened in 1964, it became one of the first major international observatories, attracting telescopes from different countries around the world because of the good astronomical...	1995
Jacobus Kapteyn Telescope Jacobus Kapteyn Telescope The Jacobus Kapteyn Telescope or JKT is a 1m optical telescope of the Isaac Newton Group of Telescopes on La Palma in the Canary Islands. It was funded by Netherlands and the United Kingdom and completed in the early 1980s. Planning procceded throughout the 1970s and it came online in 1983-1984...	1 m	39.4″	Single	UK + Netherlands	Isaac Newton Group Isaac Newton Group of Telescopes The Isaac Newton Group of Telescopes or ING operates the William Herschel Telescope, Isaac Newton Telescope and Jacobus Kapteyn Telescope optical telescopes for the Science and Technology Facilities Council , the NWO and the IAC... , Canary Islands	1984
Lulin One-meter Telescope (LOT)	1 m	39.4″	Single	ROC Republic of China The Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan , is a unitary sovereign state located in East Asia. Originally based in mainland China, the Republic of China currently governs the island of Taiwan , which forms over 99% of its current territory, as well as Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu and other minor... (Taiwan)	Lulin Observatory Lulin Observatory Lulin Observatory is an astronomical observatory operated by the Institute of Astronomy, National Central University in Taiwan.It is located at the summit of Mount Lulin, on the border of Chiayi County and Nantou County, near Yushan National Park... , Taiwan	2002
Zeiss di Merate (1m reflector)	1 m	39.4″	Single	Kingdom of Italy Kingdom of Italy (1861–1946) The Kingdom of Italy was a state forged in 1861 by the unification of Italy under the influence of the Kingdom of Sardinia, which was its legal predecessor state...	Merate Obs. Merate Astronomical Observatory Merate Astronomical Observatory is an old observatory in Merate , Italy. It is the location of a 1 meter Zeiss telescope since 1926. The same type of Zeiss telescope had been installed at Hamburg-Bergedorf Observatory, and the Royal Observatory of Belgium... , Merate Merate Merate is a municipality of 14,872 inhabitants in the province of Lecco, Lombardy .- History :The name Melatum appeared for the first time in the 4th century; it may be derived from the Greek for black/gloomy/dark because of the presence of woods, or from the Italian for apple : an important fruit... , Italy	1926
Zeiss 1m reflector	1 m	39.4″	Single	Belgium	Royal Obs., Uccle Uccle Uccle or Ukkel is one of the nineteen municipalities located in the Brussels-Capital Region of Belgium.Uccle is known for its well-to-do areas, its green spots and its high rental rates.-History:... , Belgium
Hamburg Spiegelteleskop (1m reflector)	1 m	39.4″	Single	Deutsches Reich Deutsches Reich Deutsches Reich was the official name for Germany from 1871 to 1945 in the German language.As the literal English translation "German Empire" denotes a monarchy, the term is used only in reference to Germany prior to the fall of the monarchies at the end of World War I in 1918... (Germany)	Hamburg-Bergdorf Obs., Germany	1911
Kepler Mission Kepler Mission The Kepler spacecraft is an American space observatory, the space-based portion of NASA's Kepler Mission to discover Earth-like planets orbiting other stars. The spacecraft is named in honor of the 17th-century German astronomer Johannes Kepler... telescope	0.95 m	37.4″	Single	USA	Earth-trailing Orbit (Heliocentric Heliocentric orbit A heliocentric orbit is an orbit around the Sun. All planets, comets, and asteroids in our Solar System are in such orbits, as are many artificial probes and pieces of debris. The moons of planets in the Solar System, by contrast, are not in heliocentric orbits as they orbit their respective planet... )	2009
James Gregory Telescope James Gregory Telescope The James Gregory Telescope was constructed in 1962 by the University of St Andrews. It is of a Schmidt-Cassegrain design and is fitted with a CCD camera...	0.94 m	37"	Single	Great Britain	University of St Andrews University of St Andrews The University of St Andrews, informally referred to as "St Andrews", is the oldest university in Scotland and the third oldest in the English-speaking world after Oxford and Cambridge. The university is situated in the town of St Andrews, Fife, on the east coast of Scotland. It was founded between... , UK	1962
Kuiper Airborne Obs. Kuiper Airborne Observatory The Gerard P. Kuiper Airborne Observatory was a national facility operated by NASA to support research in infrared astronomy. The observation platform was a highly modified C-141A jet transport aircraft with a range of 6,000 nautical miles , capable of conducting research operations up to 48,000... (KAO)	0.914 m	36″	Single	USA	C-141 (mobile)	1974–1995
Crossley Reflector Crossley telescope The Crossley telescope is an reflecting telescope located at Lick Observatory in the U.S. state of California.-History:Given to the observatory in 1895 by British politician Edward Crossley, it was rebuilt from the ground up as it was on a very flimsy mounting. It is still being used today in the...	0.914 m	36″	Single	US+UK	Lick Observatory Lick Observatory The Lick Observatory is an astronomical observatory, owned and operated by the University of California. It is situated on the summit of Mount Hamilton, in the Diablo Range just east of San Jose, California, USA... , USA	1896
A.A. Common Reflector	0.914 m	36″	Single	Great Britain	Great Britain	1880–1896
Rosse 36-inch Telescope	0.914 m	36″	Metal Speculum metal Speculum metal is a mixture of around two-thirds copper and one-third tin making a white brittle alloy that can be polished to make a highly reflective surface. It is used primarily to make different kinds of mirrors including early reflecting telescope optical mirrors...	Great Britain	Birr Castle Birr Castle Birr Castle is a large castle in the town of Birr in County Offaly, Ireland. It is the home of the seventh Earl of Rosse, and as such the residential areas of the castle are not open to the public, though the grounds and gardens of the demesne are publicly accessible.-Ireland's Historic Science... ; Ireland	1826

Selected large telescopes smaller than about a meter/yard

Name	Aperture Aperture In optics, an aperture is a hole or an opening through which light travels. More specifically, the aperture of an optical system is the opening that determines the cone angle of a bundle of rays that come to a focus in the image plane. The aperture determines how collimated the admitted rays are,... m	Aper. in	Type Telescope A telescope is an instrument that aids in the observation of remote objects by collecting electromagnetic radiation . The first known practical telescopes were invented in the Netherlands at the beginning of the 1600s , using glass lenses...	Nationality of Sponsors	Site	Built/Used
Hopkins Ultraviolet Telescope Hopkins Ultraviolet Telescope The Hopkins Ultraviolet Telescope was a space telescope designed to make spectroscopic observations in the far-ultraviolet region of the electromagnetic spectrum...	0.90 m	35.4″	Single UV	USA	Earth Orbit	1990, 1995
Astron Astron (spacecraft) Astron was a Soviet spacecraft launched on 23 March 1983 at 12:45:06 UTC, using Proton launcher, which was designed to fulfill an astrophysics mission. It was based on the Venera spacecraft design and was operational for six years as the largest ultraviolet space telescope during its lifetime...	0.80 m	31.5″	Single UV	CCCP + France	Earth orbit	1983–1989
Ruisinger	0.762 m	30″	Single-Newtonian	USA – ASKC	Powell Observatory Powell Observatory Powell Observatory is an astronomical observatory located near Louisburg in Miami County, Kansas, near Kansas City. It features several large telescopes and is available for public viewing, for private use of Astronomical Society of Kansas City members, and for ongoing research projects.The... ; Louisburg Louisburg Louisburg is the name of some places in the United States of America and Canada:Louisbourg, Nova Scotia, Canada Louisburg, Kansas, United States of America*Louisburg, Minnesota, United States of America... , Kansas Kansas Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...	1985
AKARI Akari Akari is a Japanese surname and given name and term meaning "light" or "glimmer". It is also associated with:* AKARI, in astronomy, is an infrared astronomy satellite developed by JAXA, in cooperation with institutes of Europe and Korea... (ASTRO-F)	0.685 m	27″	Single IR	Japan + Misc.	Earth Orbit	2006
William Lassell 24-inch	0.61 m	24″	Metal Speculum metal Speculum metal is a mixture of around two-thirds copper and one-third tin making a white brittle alloy that can be polished to make a highly reflective surface. It is used primarily to make different kinds of mirrors including early reflecting telescope optical mirrors...	Great Britain	Liverpool Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880... , England	1845
Infrared Space Observatory Infrared Space Observatory The Infrared Space Observatory was a space telescope for infrared light designed and operated by the European Space Agency , in cooperation with ISAS and NASA...	0.60 m	23.5″	Single IR (2.4 to 240 Micrometre A micrometer , is by definition 1×10-6 of a meter .In plain English, it means one-millionth of a meter . Its unit symbol in the International System of Units is μm... )	European Space Agency European Space Agency The European Space Agency , established in 1975, is an intergovernmental organisation dedicated to the exploration of space, currently with 18 member states...	Earth orbit (GEO Geosynchronous orbit A geosynchronous orbit is an orbit around the Earth with an orbital period that matches the Earth's sidereal rotation period... )	1995–1998
TRAPPIST TRAPPIST TRAPPIST is Belgian robotic telescope in Chile which came online in 2010, and is an acronym for TRAnsiting Planets and PlanetesImals Small Telescope, so named in homage to Trappist beer produced in the Belgian region. Situated high in the Chilean mountains at La Silla Observatory, it is actually...	0.60 m	23.5″	Single	Belgium	La Silla Observatory La Silla Observatory La Silla Observatory is an astronomical observatory in Chile with three telescopes built and operated by the European Southern Observatory organisation, and several others are partly maintained by ESO... , Chile	2010
IRAS IRAS The Infrared Astronomical Satellite was the first-ever space-based observatory to perform a survey of the entire sky at infrared wavelengths....	0.57 m	22.44″	Single IR	US + UK + The Netherlands	Earth orbit	1983
TacSat-2 TacSat-2 TacSat-2 is an experimental satellite built by the USAF's Air Force Research Laboratory with an operational life expected to be not more than one year as part of the 'Advanced Concept Technology Demonstration' program.-Purpose:The TacSat series of experimental spacecraft are designed to allow...	0.50 m	19.7″	R/C	USA	Earth orbit (terrestial viewing)	2006
Mars Reconnaissance OrbiterHiRISE HiRISE High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment is a camera on board the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. The 65 kg , $40 million instrument was built under the direction of the University of Arizona's Lunar and Planetary Laboratory by Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp....	0.50 m	19.7″	R/C	USA	Mars orbit	2005
Herschel 20-foot (0.475 m d.)	0.475 m	18.5″	Metal Speculum metal Speculum metal is a mixture of around two-thirds copper and one-third tin making a white brittle alloy that can be polished to make a highly reflective surface. It is used primarily to make different kinds of mirrors including early reflecting telescope optical mirrors...	Great Britain	Observatory House Observatory House Observatory House was an observatory in Slough, England. It was built, run and used by the astronomer William Herschel, and his sister Caroline. The famous '40-foot telescope' - at that time the largest in the world - was housed there in the late 18th century and early 19th century.The main house... ; England	1782
Dutch Open Telescope Dutch Open Telescope The Dutch Open Telescope , located on Roque de los Muchachos Observatory, La Palma , is an optical solar telescope with a main mirror of 45 centimeter and can reach an 0.2 arcsec resolution for sustained periods. For further optimization of the images, the DOT uses the image despeckle mechanism... (DOT)	0.45 m	17.7″	Solar Solar telescope A solar telescope is a special purpose telescope used to observe the Sun. Solar telescopes usually detect light with wavelengths in, or not far outside, the visible spectrum.-Professional solar telescopes:...	Denmark	ORM Roque de los Muchachos Observatory Roque de los Muchachos Observatory is an astronomical observatory located in the municipality of Garafía on the island of La Palma in the Canary Islands... , Canary Islands	1997
Explorer 57 (IUE) International Ultraviolet Explorer The International Ultraviolet Explorer was an astronomical observatory satellite primarily designed to take ultraviolet spectra. The satellite was a collaborative project between NASA, the UK Science Research Council and the European Space Agency...	0.45 m	17.7″	UV	US+UK+ESA Countries	Earth orbit (GEO Geosynchronous orbit A geosynchronous orbit is an orbit around the Earth with an orbital period that matches the Earth's sidereal rotation period... )	1978–1996
Armagh 15- inch Grubb Reflector	0.38 m	15″	Metal Speculum metal Speculum metal is a mixture of around two-thirds copper and one-third tin making a white brittle alloy that can be polished to make a highly reflective surface. It is used primarily to make different kinds of mirrors including early reflecting telescope optical mirrors...	Great Britain	Armagh Observatory Armagh Observatory Armagh Observatory is a modern astronomical research institute with a rich heritage, based in Armagh, Northern Ireland. Around 25 astronomers are actively studying stellar astrophysics, the Sun, Solar System astronomy, and the Earth's climate.... , Northern Ireland Northern Ireland Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...	1835	0.03 m	1.18″	Lens Cooke triplet The Cooke triplet is a photographic lens designed and patented in 1893 by Dennis Taylor who was employed as chief engineer by T. Cooke & Sons of York...	USA	Space (Mercury orbit)	2004
MESSENGER MESSENGER The MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry and Ranging space probe is a robotic NASA spacecraft in orbit around the planet Mercury. The spacecraft was launched aboard a Delta II rocket in August 2004 to study the chemical composition, geology, and magnetic field of Mercury... MDIS-NACNASA PDS - MDIS	0.025 m	0.98″	R/C	USA	Space (Mercury orbit)	2004
Dawn Framing Camera (FC1/FC2)	0.02 m	0.8″	Lens	Germany + USA	Space (Asteroid belt)	2007

Large reflectors & catadiotropic

Selected telescopes below about 2 meters aperture

Selected large telescopes smaller than about a meter/yard

See also