List of largest optical telescopes in the 20th century
Encyclopedia
The following is a list of the largest optical telescope of the 20th century with a focus on objective
diameters. Aperture rank currently goes approximately by the usable physical aperture size and not by aperture synthesis
, although interferometers attained some of the highest angular resolutions at visible and infrared wavelengths compared to traditional telescopes. Diverging methods of construction and use for reflecting telescopes in that area make comparing synthesized aperture irregular.
For instance, Keck I or II alone has less angular resolution than the Keck Interferometer (Keck I & II together), however, the Keck Interferometer is used for a much narrower range of type of observations. Ultimately, a valid comparison between two telescopes must take into consideration more specifications, when a general measurement becomes obtuse.
Aperture of the primary mirror alone can be poor measure of a reflective telescope's significance; for example, the Hubble Space Telescope
has only a 2.4 m primary mirror. In addition, many large or significant telescopes are not optical and/or reflecting. However, many famous optical telescopes have had large apertures on their primary mirror with corresponding good angular resolution
and light collecting area, with useful numbers.
Including optical observatories, including UV, visible and some optical infrared telescopes, near infrared. Covers from about 1901 to 2001, with some flexibility to accommodate ambiguity in classification. For example, some 2002 telescopes, if it was nearly operation in 2001. 19th century and earlier telescopes that ceased operation are not included, but the list is not complete.
This table does not include all the 20th largest mirrors manufactured; the Steward Observatory
Mirror Lab produced the 6.5-metre f/1.25 collimator used in the Large Optical Test and Integration Site
of Lockheed Martin
, used for vacuum optical testing of other telescopes.
Segmented
are also known as Mosaic mirrors. Single mirrors, also called monolithic and can be sub-categorized in types, such as solid or honeycomb.
At the end of the 20th century preliminary designs for Extremely large telescope
of the 21st century were being worked on, as well as many smaller telescopes such as the Large Binocular Telescope
Objective (optics)
In an optical instrument, the objective is the optical element that gathers light from the object being observed and focuses the light rays to produce a real image. Objectives can be single lenses or mirrors, or combinations of several optical elements. They are used in microscopes, telescopes,...
diameters. Aperture rank currently goes approximately by the usable physical aperture size and not by aperture synthesis
Aperture synthesis
Aperture synthesis or synthesis imaging is a type of interferometry that mixes signals from a collection of telescopes to produce images having the same angular resolution as an instrument the size of the entire collection...
, although interferometers attained some of the highest angular resolutions at visible and infrared wavelengths compared to traditional telescopes. Diverging methods of construction and use for reflecting telescopes in that area make comparing synthesized aperture irregular.
For instance, Keck I or II alone has less angular resolution than the Keck Interferometer (Keck I & II together), however, the Keck Interferometer is used for a much narrower range of type of observations. Ultimately, a valid comparison between two telescopes must take into consideration more specifications, when a general measurement becomes obtuse.
Aperture of the primary mirror alone can be poor measure of a reflective telescope's significance; for example, the Hubble Space Telescope
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...
has only a 2.4 m primary mirror. In addition, many large or significant telescopes are not optical and/or reflecting. However, many famous optical telescopes have had large apertures on their primary mirror with corresponding good angular resolution
Angular resolution
Angular resolution, or spatial resolution, describes the ability of any image-forming device such as an optical or radio telescope, a microscope, a camera, or an eye, to distinguish small details of an object...
and light collecting area, with useful numbers.
Including optical observatories, including UV, visible and some optical infrared telescopes, near infrared. Covers from about 1901 to 2001, with some flexibility to accommodate ambiguity in classification. For example, some 2002 telescopes, if it was nearly operation in 2001. 19th century and earlier telescopes that ceased operation are not included, but the list is not complete.
Table of reflecting telescopes
Multiple mirror telescopes are ranked by their equivalent optical area, not peak interferometric aperture unless it is not relevant for the design. See also List of astronomical interferometers at visible and infrared wavelengths.| Name/Observatory | 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 Inch An inch is the name of a unit of length in a number of different systems, including Imperial units, and United States customary units. There are 36 inches in a yard and 12 inches in a foot... |
Mirror type Reflecting telescope A reflecting telescope is an optical telescope which uses a single or combination of curved mirrors that reflect light and form an image. The reflecting telescope was invented in the 17th century as an alternative to the refracting telescope which, at that time, was a design that suffered from... |
Nationality of Sponsors | Site and/or Observatory | FL First light In astronomy, first light is the first use of a telescope to take an astronomical image after it has been constructed. This is often not the first viewing using the telescope; optical tests have likely already been performed during daylight to adjust the components... or Built |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GTC Gran Telescopio Canarias The Gran Telescopio Canarias , also known as GranTeCan or GTC, is a reflecting telescope undertaking commissioning observations at the Roque de los Muchachos Observatory on the island of La Palma, in the Canary Islands of Spain, as of July 2009.Construction of the telescope, sited on a volcanic... |
10.2 m | 410″ | Segmented Segmented mirror A segmented mirror is an array of smaller mirrors designed to act as segments of a single large curved mirror. The segments can be either spherical or asymmetric . They are used as objectives for large reflecting telescopes... ,36 |
Spain (90%), Mexico(5%), USA(5%) Spain Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula... |
Roque de los Muchachos Observatory 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... |
2007 |
| Keck 1 | 10 m | 400″ | Segmented Segmented mirror A segmented mirror is an array of smaller mirrors designed to act as segments of a single large curved mirror. The segments can be either spherical or asymmetric . They are used as objectives for large reflecting telescopes... ,36 |
USA United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district... |
Mauna Kea Observatory Mauna Kea Observatory The Observatories at Mauna Kea, , are an independent collection of astronomical research facilities located on the summit of Mauna Kea on the Big Island of Hawai'i, USA. The facilities are located in a special land use zone known as the "Astronomy Precinct," which is located in the Mauna Kea... , Hawaii Hawaii Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of... |
1993 |
| Keck 2 | 10 m | 400″ | Segmented Segmented mirror A segmented mirror is an array of smaller mirrors designed to act as segments of a single large curved mirror. The segments can be either spherical or asymmetric . They are used as objectives for large reflecting telescopes... ,36 |
USA United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district... |
Mauna Kea Observatory Mauna Kea Observatory The Observatories at Mauna Kea, , are an independent collection of astronomical research facilities located on the summit of Mauna Kea on the Big Island of Hawai'i, USA. The facilities are located in a special land use zone known as the "Astronomy Precinct," which is located in the Mauna Kea... , Hawaii Hawaii Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of... |
1996 |
| Hobby-Eberly Telescope Hobby-Eberly Telescope The Hobby-Eberly Telescope is a 9.2-meter aperture telescope located at the McDonald Observatory. It combines a number of features that differentiate it from most telescope designs, resulting in greatly lowered construction costs... (HET) |
9.2 m | 362″ | Segmented Segmented mirror A segmented mirror is an array of smaller mirrors designed to act as segments of a single large curved mirror. The segments can be either spherical or asymmetric . They are used as objectives for large reflecting telescopes... ,91 |
USA, Germany Germany Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate... |
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 Texas Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in... |
1997 |
| Subaru Subaru (telescope) Subaru Telescope is the 8.2 metre flagship telescope of the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, located at the Mauna Kea Observatory on Hawaii. It is named after the open star cluster known in English as the Pleiades... (JNLT) |
8.2 m | 323″ | Single | Japan Japan Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south... |
Mauna Kea Observatory Mauna Kea Observatory The Observatories at Mauna Kea, , are an independent collection of astronomical research facilities located on the summit of Mauna Kea on the Big Island of Hawai'i, USA. The facilities are located in a special land use zone known as the "Astronomy Precinct," which is located in the Mauna Kea... , Hawaii Hawaii Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of... |
1999 |
| 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... 1 (Antu) |
8.2 m | 323″ | Single | ESO Countries + Chile European Southern Observatory The European Southern Observatory is an intergovernmental research organisation for astronomy, supported by fifteen countries... |
Paranal Observatory 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 Chile Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far... |
1998 |
| 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... 2 (Kueyen) |
8.2 m | 323″ | Single | ESO Countries + Chile European Southern Observatory The European Southern Observatory is an intergovernmental research organisation for astronomy, supported by fifteen countries... |
Paranal Observatory 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 Chile Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far... |
1999 |
| 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... 3 (Melipal) |
8.2 m | 323″ | Single | ESO Countries + Chile European Southern Observatory The European Southern Observatory is an intergovernmental research organisation for astronomy, supported by fifteen countries... |
Paranal Observatory 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 Chile Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far... |
2000* |
| 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... 4 (Yepun) |
8.2 m | 323″ | Single | ESO Countries + Chile European Southern Observatory The European Southern Observatory is an intergovernmental research organisation for astronomy, supported by fifteen countries... |
Paranal Observatory 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 Chile Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far... |
2001 |
| Gemini North (Gillett) | 8.1 m | 318″ | Single | USA United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district... , UK United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages... , Canada Canada Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean... , Chile Chile Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far... , Australia Australia Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area... , Argentina Argentina Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires... , Brazil Brazil Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people... |
Mauna Kea Obs. Mauna Kea Observatory The Observatories at Mauna Kea, , are an independent collection of astronomical research facilities located on the summit of Mauna Kea on the Big Island of Hawai'i, USA. The facilities are located in a special land use zone known as the "Astronomy Precinct," which is located in the Mauna Kea... , Hawaii Hawaii Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of... |
1999 |
| Gemini South | 8.1 m | 318″ | Single | USA United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district... , UK United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages... , Canada Canada Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean... , Chile Chile Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far... , Australia Australia Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area... , Argentina Argentina Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires... , Brazil Brazil Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people... |
Cerro Pachón Cerro Pachón Cerro Pachón is a mountain located close to Chilean city of Vicuña and 10 km southeast of the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory, at an altitude of 2,715 m over the sea level in the foothills of the Andes. The location is exceedingly dry, making it suitable for infrared observations.... , Chile Chile Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far... |
2001 |
| MMT MMT Observatory The MMT Observatory is an astronomical observatory on the site of Fred Lawrence Whipple Observatory . The Whipple observatory complex is located on Mount Hopkins, Arizona, USA in the Santa Rita Mountains... |
6.5 m | 256″ | Single | USA | 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... |
2000 |
| Magellan 1 (Walter Baade) | 6.5 m | 256″ | Honeycomb | USA United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district... |
Las Campanas Obs. 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 Chile Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far... |
2000 |
| Magellan 2 (Landon Clay) | 6.5 m | 256″ | Honeycomb | USA United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district... |
Las Campanas Obs. 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 Chile Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far... |
2002* |
| BTA-6 BTA-6 The BTA-6 is a 6 m aperture optical telescope at the Special Astrophysical Observatory located in the Zelenchuksky District on the north side of the Caucasus Mountains in southern Russia... |
6 m | 238″ | Single | USSR + Russia Russia Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects... |
Zelenchukskaya Zelenchukskaya The Special Astrophysical Observatory , or SAO RAS for short, is an astronomical observatory, set up in 1966 in the USSR, now operated by the Russian Academy of Sciences. Based in the Bolshoi Zelenchuk Valley of the Greater Caucasus near the village of Nizhny Arkhyz, the observatory houses the... , Caucasus Caucasus The Caucasus, also Caucas or Caucasia , is a geopolitical region at the border of Europe and Asia, and situated between the Black and the Caspian sea... |
1976 |
| Hale Telescope Hale telescope The Hale Telescope is a , 3.3 reflecting telescope at the Palomar Observatory in California, named after astronomer George Ellery Hale. With funding from the Rockefeller Foundation, he orchestrated the planning, design, and construction of the observatory, but did not live to see its commissioning... (200 inch) |
5.08 m | 200″ | Single | USA United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district... |
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 California California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area... |
1948 |
| MMT (original) MMT Observatory The MMT Observatory is an astronomical observatory on the site of Fred Lawrence Whipple Observatory . The Whipple observatory complex is located on Mount Hopkins, Arizona, USA in the Santa Rita Mountains... (6 x 1.8 m) optics replaced |
4.7 m (6 x 1.8 m) | 186″ | 6 mirrors | USA | 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... |
1979-1998 |
| William Herschel Telescope William Herschel Telescope The William Herschel Telescope is a optical/near-infrared reflecting telescope located at the Observatorio del Roque de los Muchachos on the island of La Palma in the Canary Islands, Spain. The telescope, which is named after William Herschel, is part of the Isaac Newton Group of Telescopes... |
4.2 m | 165″ | Single | UK United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages... , Netherlands Netherlands The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders... , Spain Spain Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula... |
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 Canary Islands The Canary Islands , also known as the Canaries , is a Spanish archipelago located just off the northwest coast of mainland Africa, 100 km west of the border between Morocco and the Western Sahara. The Canaries are a Spanish autonomous community and an outermost region of the European Union... |
1987 |
| SOAR | 4.1 m | 161″ | Single | USA United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district... , Brazil Brazil Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people... |
Cerro Pachón Cerro Pachón Cerro Pachón is a mountain located close to Chilean city of Vicuña and 10 km southeast of the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory, at an altitude of 2,715 m over the sea level in the foothills of the Andes. The location is exceedingly dry, making it suitable for infrared observations.... , Chile Chile Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far... |
2002* |
| Nicholas U. Mayall 4m Nicholas U. Mayall Telescope The Nicholas U. Mayall Telescope is a four meter reflector telescope located at the Kitt Peak National Observatory and named after Nicholas U. Mayall. It saw first light on February 27, 1973. Initial observers included: D. Crawford, Nicholas Mayall, and Arthur Hoag. It was dedicated on June 20,... |
4 m | 158″ | 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... ; 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... |
1973 |
| Victor M. Blanco Telescope Victor M. Blanco Telescope The Víctor M. Blanco Telescope, also known as the Blanco 4m, is a 4m telescope located at the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory, Chile. Commissioned in 1974 and completed in 1976, this telescope is similar to the Mayall 4m telescope located on Kitt Peak. In 1995 it was dedicated and named in... |
4 m | 158″ | Single | USA | Cerro Tololo Inter-American Obs. Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory The Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory is a complex of astronomical telescopes and instruments located at 30.169 S, 70.804 W, approximately 80 km to the East of La Serena, Chile at an altitude of 2200 metres. The complex is part of the National Optical Astronomy Observatory along with Kitt... , Chile Chile Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far... |
1976 |
| Anglo-Australian Telescope Anglo-Australian Telescope The Anglo-Australian Telescope is a 3.9 m equatorially mounted telescope operated by the Australian Astronomical Observatory and situated at the Siding Spring Observatory, Australia at an altitude of a little over 1100 m... (AAT) |
3.89 m | 154″ | Single | United Kingdom United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages... + Australia Australia Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area... |
Anglo-Australian Obs. Anglo-Australian Observatory The Australian Astronomical Observatory , formerly the Anglo-Australian Observatory, is an optical/near-infrared astronomy observatory with its headquarters in suburban Sydney, Australia... ; Siding Spring, Australia Australia Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area... |
1975 |
| United Kingdom Infrared Telescope United Kingdom Infrared Telescope UKIRT, the United Kingdom Infra-Red Telescope, is a 3.8 metre infrared reflecting telescope, the largest dedicated infrared telescope in the world. It is operated by the Joint Astronomy Centre in Hilo and located on Mauna Kea, Hawai'i as part of Mauna Kea Observatory... (UKIRT) |
3.8 m | 150″ | Single IR | United Kingdom United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages... |
Mauna Kea Observatories; Mauna Kea, Hawaii | 1978 |
| 3.67m AEOS Telescope 3.67 m Advanced Electro Optical System Telescope The 3.67 m Advanced Electro Optical System Telescope is a Department of Defense telescope at Haleakala Observatory.The 3.67-meter telescope, known as the Advanced Electro-Optical System , owned by the Department of Defense, is the United States' largest optical telescope designed for tracking... (AEOS) |
3.67 m | 145″ | Single | USA United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district... |
Air Force Maui Optical Station; Haleakala, Hawaii | 1996 |
| Telescopio Nazionale Galileo Telescopio Nazionale Galileo The Telescopio Nazionale Galileo, or TNG, is a 3.58m Italian telescope located on the island of San Miguel de La Palma , in the Canary Islands archipelago. It is one of the largest telescopes hosted by the Roque de los Muchachos Observatory, a very important observing site in the northern hemisphere... (TNG) |
3.58 m | 138″ | Single | Italy | La Palma, Canary Islands | 1997 |
| New Technology Telescope New Technology Telescope The New Technology Telescope or NTT is an Alt-Az, 3.58-metre Richey-Chretien telescope part of the European Southern Observatory and began operations in 1989. It is located in Chile at the La Silla Observatory and was an early pioneer on the use of active optics... (NTT) |
3.58 m | 142″ | Single | ESO countries European Southern Observatory The European Southern Observatory is an intergovernmental research organisation for astronomy, supported by fifteen countries... |
European Southern Observatory European Southern Observatory The European Southern Observatory is an intergovernmental research organisation for astronomy, supported by fifteen countries... ; Cerro La Silla, Chile |
1989 |
| Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope The Canada–France–Hawaii Telescope is located near the summit of Mauna Kea mountain on Hawaii's Big Island at an altitude of 4,204 meters , and is one of the observatories that comprise the Mauna Kea Observatory... (CFHT) |
3.58 m | 141″ | Single | Canada Canada Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean... , France France The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France... , USA |
Mauna Kea Observatories, USA | 1979 |
| ESO 3.6 m Telescope | 3.57 m | 140″ | Single | ESO countries European Southern Observatory The European Southern Observatory is an intergovernmental research organisation for astronomy, supported by fifteen countries... |
European Southern Observatory European Southern Observatory The European Southern Observatory is an intergovernmental research organisation for astronomy, supported by fifteen countries... ; Cerro La Silla, Chile |
1977 |
| MPI-CAHA 3.5m | 3.5 m | 138″ | 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 Spain Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula... |
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 |
1984 |
| USAF Starfire 3.5m Starfire Optical Range Starfire Optical Range is a United States Air Force research laboratory on the Kirtland Air Force Base in Albuquerque, New Mexico... |
3.5 m | 138″ | Single | USA | Starfire Optical Range Starfire Optical Range Starfire Optical Range is a United States Air Force research laboratory on the Kirtland Air Force Base in Albuquerque, New Mexico... ; New Mexico |
1994 |
| WIYN Telescope WIYN Observatory The WIYN Observatory is owned and operated by the WIYN Consortium. Its telescope, a 3.5-meter instrument, is the newest and second largest telescope on Kitt Peak in Arizona... |
3.5 m | 138″ | 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 |
1994 |
| Astrophysical Research Consortium (ARC) | 3.48 m | 137″ | Single | USA | Apache Point Obs. Apache Point Observatory The Apache Point Observatory is located in the Sacramento Mountains in Sunspot, New Mexico 18 miles south of Cloudcroft. The observatory consists of the Astrophysical Research Consortium's 3.5-meter telescope, the Sloan Digital Sky Survey 2.5-m telescope with a 20" photometric telescope,... ; Sacramento Peak, New Mexico |
1994 |
| Shane Telescope C. Donald Shane telescope The C. Donald Shane telescope is a reflecting telescope located at the Lick Observatory in California. It was named after astronomer C. Donald Shane in 1978, who led the effort to acquire the necessary funds from the California Legislature, and who then oversaw the telescope's construction... |
3.05 m | 120″ | Single | USA United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district... |
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... ; Mt. Hamilton, California |
1959 |
| Infrared Telescope Facility Infrared Telescope Facility The NASA Infrared Telescope Facility is a telescope optimized for use in infrared astronomy and located at the Mauna Kea Observatory in Hawai'i. It was first built to support the Voyager missions and is now the USA national facility for infrared astronomy, providing continued support to... (IRTF) |
3 m | 118″ | Single IR | USA United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district... |
Mauna Kea, Hawaii | 1979 |
| NASA-LMT NASA Orbital Debris Observatory NASA Orbital Debris Observatory or NODO was an observatory that hosted NASA-LMT, a 3 meter diameter aperture liquid metal telescope and astronomical survey funded and operated by NASA from 1995 to 2002 in New Mexico, USA. It was a zenith or transit telescope pointed straight up, that used 20... (NODO) retired |
3 m | 118″ | 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... |
USA | Sacramento Peak, New Mexico, USA | 1995–2002 |
| 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″ | 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″ | 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″ | 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 | |
| BAO 2.6 | 2.6 m | 102″ | 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 | 101″ | Single | Denmark Denmark Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark... , Sweden Sweden Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund.... , Iceland Iceland Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population... , Norway Norway Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million... , Finland Finland Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside... |
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″ | Zerodur | UK | La Palma, Canary Islands moved/new mirror | 1984 |
| du Pont | 2.54 m | 100″ | 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″ | Single | USA United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district... |
Mt. Wilson Observatory; California California California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area... |
1917 |
| 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″ | Single | USA United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district... |
Sacramento Peak, New Mexico | 1997 |
| Isaac Newton Telescope (INT) | 2.54 m | 98″ | Single | UK | RGO, Sussex, England (original) | 1965-1979 |
| Hiltner Telescope | 2.4 m | 95″ | Single | USA United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district... |
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... |
1986 |
| 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″ | 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 |
| Vainu Bappu | 2.34 m | 92″ | 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 | |
| WIRO 2.3 | 2.3 m | 90.5″ | Single | USA | Wyoming, USA | 1977 |
| ANU 2.3m ATT | 2.3 m | 90″ | Single | Australia | 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″ | 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... |
2.24 m | 88″ | Single | USA | Mauna Kea Observatories, Hawaii | 1970 |
| MPIA-ESO (ESO-MPI) | 2.2 m | 87″ | 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 | 87″ | 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 Spain Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula... |
1979 |
| Xinglong 2.16m | 2.16 m | 85″ | 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″ | 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″ | 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 |
1987 |
| UNAM 2.12 | 2.12 m | 83" | 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 | 83″ | 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... |
2.1 m | 82 | 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 |
| Himalayan Chandra Telescope (HCT) | 2.01 m | 79″ | Single | India | Indian Astronomical Obs. 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... , Hanle (4500 m) |
2000 |
| Alfred Jensch Teleskop | 2 m | 79″ | 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... |
1960 | |
| Carl Zeiss Jena | 2 m | 79″ | 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 Azerbaijan Azerbaijan , officially the Republic of Azerbaijan is the largest country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia to the west, and Iran to... |
1966 | |
| Ondřejov 2-m http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Ond%C5%99ejov_2-m_Telescope | 2 m | 79″ | 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 Czech Republic The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest.... |
1967 |
| Ritchey-Chretien-Coude (RCC) | 2 m | 79″ | 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 | 79″ | Single | Main Ukraine Obs. | ||
| 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 | 79″ | Single | France France The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France... |
Pic du Midi Obs., France France The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France... |
1980 |
| 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 | 79″ | 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 | 79″ | 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 Australia Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area... |
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 | 79″ | 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 |
| 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 Radcliffe Telescope (1.9 m) | 1.88 m | 74″ | Single | South African Astronomical Obs., Sutherland, 1974 - PresentRadcliffe Obs.,1948- 1974 | 1950 | |
| 188 cm telescope | 1.88 m | 74″ | Single | Japan Japan Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south... |
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 Ontario Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa.... |
1935 |
| 74" reflector | 1.88 m | 74″ | Single | Australia Australia Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area... |
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 Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world... |
Egypt Egypt Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world... |
1960 |
| 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 Vatican City Vatican City , or Vatican City State, in Italian officially Stato della Città del Vaticano , which translates literally as State of the City of the Vatican, is a landlocked sovereign city-state whose territory consists of a walled enclave within the city of Rome, Italy. It has an area of... |
Mt. Graham International Obs. 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 |
| Copernico 182 cm | 1.82 m | 72″ | Single | Italy | Asiago Observatory, Italy (1350 m) | 1976 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 165 cm 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 Lithuania Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark... |
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 |
| AZT-33 | 1.6 m | 63″ | Single | Sayan Solar Obs., Siberia (2000m) | 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... |
1981 |
| 1.6 | 1.6 m | 63″ | Single | 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 | USN Obs. 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,... ,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 |
| Danish 1.54 meter telescope | 1.54 | 60.3″ | Single | Denmark | 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 Chile Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far... |
1979 |
| Harvard 60-inch Reflector | 1.524 m | 60″ | Single | USA United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district... |
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 | USA United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district... |
Mt. Wilson Observatory; California California California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area... |
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 |
| Palomar Observatory 60 inch | 1.524 | 60″ | Single | 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, USA |
1970 |
| FLWO 1.5m Tillinghast | 1.52 m | 60″ | Single | USA United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district... |
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 | 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... , Tenerife Tenerife Tenerife is the largest and most populous island of the seven Canary Islands, it is also the most populated island of Spain, with a land area of 2,034.38 km² and 906,854 inhabitants, 43% of the total population of the Canary Islands. About five million tourists visit Tenerife each year, the... (Spain) |
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 | 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 Spain Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula... |
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 |
| 152 cm G.D. Cassini | 1.52 m | 60″ | Single | Italy | Mount Orzale, Italy Italy Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and... |
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 Uzbekistan Uzbekistan , officially the Republic of Uzbekistan is a doubly landlocked country in Central Asia and one of the six independent Turkic states. It shares borders with Kazakhstan to the west and to the north, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan to the east, and Afghanistan and Turkmenistan to the south.... |
1972 | |
| AZT-20 | 1.5 m | 59″ | Single | Assy-Turgen Observatory, Kazakhstan Kazakhstan Kazakhstan , officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country in Central Asia and Eastern Europe. Ranked as the ninth largest country in the world, it is also the world's largest landlocked country; its territory of is greater than Western Europe... |
||
| 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 Estonia Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies... |
1976 |
| 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) |
1991 |
| BST-1M | 1.5 m | 59″ | Single IR | USSR | Salyut 6 Salyut 6 Salyut 6 , DOS-5, was a Soviet orbital space station, the eighth flown as part of the Salyut programme. Launched on 29 September 1977 by a Proton rocket, the station was the first of the 'second-generation' type of space station. Salyut 6 possessed several revolutionary advances over the earlier... , Earth Orbit |
1977-1982 |
| USNOFS 1.3m | 1.3 m | 51″ | Single | USA | USN Obs. 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,... ,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, Michigan (1969-1975) |
1969 |
| AZT-11 | 1.25 m | 49″ | Single | Abastumani Obs., Georgia (country) Georgia (country) Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of... |
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 Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia... |
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 Germany Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate... |
Babelsberg Observatory; Berlin, Germany | 1924–1947 |
| Galileo 122 cm | 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 |
| OHP 1.20 | 1.2 m | 48″ | 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 |
1943 |
| Paris 48″ Reflector | 1.2 m | 48″ | France | Paris Observatory Paris Observatory The Paris Observatory is the foremost astronomical observatory of France, and one of the largest astronomical centres in the world... , France |
1871-1943 | |
| Oskar-Lühning Telescope | 1.2 m | 47″ | Single | Germany Germany Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate... |
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... |
120 cm | 47″ | Single | Switzerland Switzerland Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition.... |
La Silla, Chile Chile Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far... |
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.... |
120 cm | 47″ | Single | Belgium Belgium Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many... +Switzerland Switzerland Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition.... |
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 Canary Islands The Canary Islands , also known as the Canaries , is a Spanish archipelago located just off the northwest coast of mainland Africa, 100 km west of the border between Morocco and the Western Sahara. The Canaries are a Spanish autonomous community and an outermost region of the European Union... |
2001 |
| Hamburg Robotic Telescope (HRT) | 120 cm | 47″ | Single | Germany Germany Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate... |
Hamburg-Bergdorf Obs., Germany | 2002* |
| Hänssgen's reflector | 107 cm | 42″ | Single | Germany | Mobile (~Germany) | 2002* |
| Nickel Telescope | 102 cm | 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 |
| George Ritchey 40-inch (1 m) | 102 cm | 40″ | R/C | USA | Flagstaff Flagstaff Station *United States Naval Observatory Flagstaff Station*Flagstaff *Flagstaff railway station, Melbourne, AustraliaFlagstaff station can also be Television and Radio stations in and around Flagstaff, Arizona USA:... , Arizona (Washington, D.C. until 1955) |
1934 |
| Yerkes "41-inch" | 102 cm | 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 | 100 cm | 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 Switzerland Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition.... |
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 .... |
100 cm | 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... , Tenerife Tenerife Tenerife is the largest and most populous island of the seven Canary Islands, it is also the most populated island of Spain, with a land area of 2,034.38 km² and 906,854 inhabitants, 43% of the total population of the Canary Islands. About five million tourists visit Tenerife each year, the... (Spain) |
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... |
100 cm | 39.4″ | Single | UK + Netherlands Netherlands The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders... |
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 Canary Islands The Canary Islands , also known as the Canaries , is a Spanish archipelago located just off the northwest coast of mainland Africa, 100 km west of the border between Morocco and the Western Sahara. The Canaries are a Spanish autonomous community and an outermost region of the European Union... |
1984 |
| Lulin One-meter Telescope (LOT) | 100 cm | 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 Taiwan Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following... |
2002* |
| Zeiss di Merate (1m reflector) | 100 cm | 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 Italy Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and... |
1926 |
| Zeiss 1m reflector | 100 cm | 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 |
1920s |
| Hamburg Spiegelteleskop (1m reflector) | 100 cm | 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 |
| 1-m Carl Zeiss Jena | 100 cm | 39.4″ | Single | CCCP | Assy-Turgen Observatory, Kazakhstan Kazakhstan Kazakhstan , officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country in Central Asia and Eastern Europe. Ranked as the ninth largest country in the world, it is also the world's largest landlocked country; its territory of is greater than Western Europe... |
|
| 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... |
94 cm | 37" | Single | Great Britain Great Britain Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles... |
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) |
91.4 cm | 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... |
91.4 cm | 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 |
This table does not include all the 20th largest mirrors manufactured; the 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...
Mirror Lab produced the 6.5-metre f/1.25 collimator used in the Large Optical Test and Integration Site
Large Optical Test and Integration Site
The Large Optical Test and Integration Site, or LOTIS, is a facility at the Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company in Sunnyvale, CA for testing large optical components under realistic conditions...
of Lockheed Martin
Lockheed Martin
Lockheed Martin is an American global aerospace, defense, security, and advanced technology company with worldwide interests. It was formed by the merger of Lockheed Corporation with Martin Marietta in March 1995. It is headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, in the Washington Metropolitan Area....
, used for vacuum optical testing of other telescopes.
Segmented
Segmented mirror
A segmented mirror is an array of smaller mirrors designed to act as segments of a single large curved mirror. The segments can be either spherical or asymmetric . They are used as objectives for large reflecting telescopes...
are also known as Mosaic mirrors. Single mirrors, also called monolithic and can be sub-categorized in types, such as solid or honeycomb.
Selected large telescopes below about ~0.9 meter/90 cm (~3 feet/ 36 in.)
Some famous 20th century regionally famous telescopes, space telescopes, or otherwise significant. (100 cm = 1 meter)| 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 Inch An inch is the name of a unit of length in a number of different systems, including Imperial units, and United States customary units. There are 36 inches in a yard and 12 inches in a foot... |
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/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... |
90 cm | 35.4″ | Single UV | USA | STS Space Shuttle The Space Shuttle was a manned orbital rocket and spacecraft system operated by NASA on 135 missions from 1981 to 2011. The system combined rocket launch, orbital spacecraft, and re-entry spaceplane with modular add-ons... , 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... |
80 cm | 31.5″ | Single UV | CCCP + France | Earth orbit | 1983-1989 |
| Ruisinger | 76.2 cm | 30″ | Single-Newtonian | USA (ASKC) | 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... - Powell Obs. 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... |
1985 |
| 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... |
60 cm | 23.5″ | IR (2.4-240 μm 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 |
| IRAS IRAS The Infrared Astronomical Satellite was the first-ever space-based observatory to perform a survey of the entire sky at infrared wavelengths.... |
57 cm | 22.44″ | R/C IR | US + UK + The Netherlands | Earth orbit | 1983 |
| Mons Telescope Mons Telescope The MONS Telescope has 50cm diameter and was constructed by the University of Mons in 1972 for night observation purposes.It is located at Observatorio del Teide on Tenerife, and is operated by the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias.... |
50 cm | 19.7″ | Single | Belgium | 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... , Tenerife Tenerife Tenerife is the largest and most populous island of the seven Canary Islands, it is also the most populated island of Spain, with a land area of 2,034.38 km² and 906,854 inhabitants, 43% of the total population of the Canary Islands. About five million tourists visit Tenerife each year, the... (Spain) |
1972 |
| 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) |
45 cm | 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 Denmark Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. 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 Canary Islands The Canary Islands , also known as the Canaries , is a Spanish archipelago located just off the northwest coast of mainland Africa, 100 km west of the border between Morocco and the Western Sahara. The Canaries are a Spanish autonomous community and an outermost region of the European Union... |
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... |
45 cm | 17.7″ | Single 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 |
| Glazar UV telescope | 40 cm | 15.75″ | Single UV | CCCP | Kvant-1 Kvant-1 Kvant-1 was the second module of the Soviet space station Mir. It was the first addition to the Mir base block and contained scientific instruments for astrophysical observations and materials science experiments.... (Mir Mir Mir was a space station operated in low Earth orbit from 1986 to 2001, at first by the Soviet Union and then by Russia. Assembled in orbit from 1986 to 1996, Mir was the first modular space station and had a greater mass than that of any previous spacecraft, holding the record for the... ), Earth Orbit |
1987-2001 |
| Glazar 2 UV telecope | 40 cm | 15.75″ | Single UV | CCCP + Switzerland | Kristall Kristall The Kristall module was the fourth module and the third major addition to the Mir space station. As with previous modules, its configuration was based on the 77K module, and was originally named "Kvant 3". It was launched on May 31, 1990 on a Proton rocket... (Mir Mir Mir was a space station operated in low Earth orbit from 1986 to 2001, at first by the Soviet Union and then by Russia. Assembled in orbit from 1986 to 1996, Mir was the first modular space station and had a greater mass than that of any previous spacecraft, holding the record for the... ), Earth Orbit |
1990-2001 |
| Mars Global Surveyor Mars Global Surveyor The Mars Global Surveyor was a US spacecraft developed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory and launched November 1996. It began the United States's return to Mars after a 10-year absence. It completed its primary mission in January 2001 and was in its third extended mission phase when, on 2... MOC |
35 cm | 13.8″ | R/C | USA | Mars Orbit | 1996–2006 |
| XMM-Newton XMM-Newton The XMM-Newton is an orbiting X-ray observatory launched by ESA in December 1999 on a Ariane 5 rocket... UV camera |
30 cm | 11.9″ | Single UV | ESA Countries | Earth orbit | 1998 |
| TRACE TRACE TRACE was a NASA space telescope designed to investigate the connections between fine-scale magnetic fields and the associated plasma structures on the Sun by providing high resolution images and observation of the solar photosphere and transition region to the corona... |
30 cm | 11.9″ | Single EUV/UV/Vis | NASA | Earth orbit | 1998-2010 |
| Hipparcos Hipparcos Hipparcos was a scientific mission of the European Space Agency , launched in 1989 and operated between 1989 and 1993. It was the first space experiment devoted to precision astrometry, the accurate measurement of the positions of celestial objects on the sky... |
29 cm | 11.4″ | 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.... |
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 (GTO Geostationary transfer orbit A geosynchronous transfer orbit or geostationary transfer orbit is a Hohmann transfer orbit used to reach geosynchronous or geostationary orbit.... ) |
1989–1993 |
| Astronomical Netherlands Satellite Astronomical Netherlands Satellite The Astronomical Netherlands Satellite was a space-based X-ray and ultraviolet telescope. It was launched into Earth orbit on 30 August 1974 at 14:07:39 UTC in a Scout rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base, United States... |
22 cm | 8.7″ | Single UV | Nederlands & USA | Earth Orbit | 1974-1976 |
| Galileo - Solid State Imager | 17.65 cm | 6.95″ | Reflector Cassegrain reflector The Cassegrain reflector is a combination of a primary concave mirror and a secondary convex mirror, often used in optical telescopes and radio antennas.... |
USA | Jupiter | 1989-2003 |
| Voyager 1 Voyager 1 The Voyager 1 spacecraft is a 722-kilogram space probe launched by NASA in 1977, to study the outer Solar System and eventually interstellar space. Operating for as of today , the spacecraft receives routine commands and transmits data back to the Deep Space Network. At a distance of as of... /2 Voyager 2 The Voyager 2 spacecraft is a 722-kilogram space probe launched by NASA on August 20, 1977 to study the outer Solar System and eventually interstellar space... , ISS-NAC |
17.6 cm | 6.92″ | Catadioptric Catadioptric A catadioptric optical system is one where refraction and reflection are combined in an optical system, usually via lenses and curved mirrors . Catadioptric combinations are used in focusing systems such as search lights, headlamps, early lighthouse focusing systems, optical telescopes,... |
USA | Space | 1977 |
| Spacelab IRT | 15.2 cm | 6″ | IR (1.7-118 μm) | ESA + NASA | STS Space Shuttle The Space Shuttle was a manned orbital rocket and spacecraft system operated by NASA on 135 missions from 1981 to 2011. The system combined rocket launch, orbital spacecraft, and re-entry spaceplane with modular add-ons... , Earth Orbit |
1985 STS-51-F STS-51-F was the nineteenth flight of NASA's Space Shuttle program, and the eighth flight of Space Shuttle Challenger... |
| Mariner 10 Mariner 10 Mariner 10 was an American robotic space probe launched by NASA on November 3, 1973, to fly by the planets Mercury and Venus. It was launched approximately two years after Mariner 9 and was the last spacecraft in the Mariner program... - TV Photo. (x2) |
15 cm | 5.9″ | Reflector Cassegrain reflector The Cassegrain reflector is a combination of a primary concave mirror and a secondary convex mirror, often used in optical telescopes and radio antennas.... |
USA | Space | 1973-1975 |
| Deep Space 1 Deep Space 1 Deep Space 1 is a spacecraft of the NASA New Millennium Program dedicated to testing a payload of advanced, high risk technologies.... MICAS |
10 cm | 3.94″ | Single | USA | Solar Orbit | 1998-2001 |
| Lunar Surface Ultraviolet CameraFar UV Camera/Spectrograph | 7.62 cm | 3″ | Schmidt UV | USA | Moon | 1972 |
| Voyager 1 Voyager 1 The Voyager 1 spacecraft is a 722-kilogram space probe launched by NASA in 1977, to study the outer Solar System and eventually interstellar space. Operating for as of today , the spacecraft receives routine commands and transmits data back to the Deep Space Network. At a distance of as of... /2 Voyager 2 The Voyager 2 spacecraft is a 722-kilogram space probe launched by NASA on August 20, 1977 to study the outer Solar System and eventually interstellar space... , ISS-WAC |
6 cm | 2.36″ | Lens | USA | Space | 1977 |
At the end of the 20th century preliminary designs for Extremely large telescope
Extremely large telescope
An extremely large telescope is an astronomical observatory featuring a telescope with an aperture of more than 20 m diameter when discussing reflecting telescopes of optical wavelengths including ultraviolet , visible, and near infrared wavelengths. Among many planned capabilities, ELTs are...
of the 21st century were being worked on, as well as many smaller telescopes such as the Large Binocular Telescope
Large Binocular Telescope
Large Binocular Telescope is an optical telescope for astronomy located on Mount Graham in the Pinaleno Mountains of southeastern Arizona, and is a part of the Mount Graham International Observatory...
See also
- List of largest optical reflecting telescopes
- List of largest optical refracting telescopes
- List of optical telescopes
- List of large optical telescopes
- List of largest optical telescopes historically
- List of astronomical interferometers at visible and infrared wavelengths
- List of largest optical telescopes in the 19th century
- List of largest optical telescopes in the 18th century
Further reading
Further reading from List of large reflecting telescopes and The World's Largest Optical Telescopes- "The Astronomical Scrapbook", Joseph Ashbrook, Sky Publishing Corporation 1984, ISBN 0-933346-24-7, o
- "Giant Telescopes of the World", Sky and Telescope, August 2000.
- "The History of the Telescope", Henry C. King. (1955)
- "The Historical Growth of Telescope Aperture", René Racine, Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific, 116
- JRASC (1929) vol 23, p351
- Sky&Telescope (April 1981) p303
- Sky&Telescope (July 1993) vol 86, p 27-32
- James H. Burge, 1993 Dissertation at UA, "Advanced Techniques for Measuring Primary Mirrors for Astronomical Telescopes"