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The history of the telescope is a large and complex subject. A list of historically important telescopes is given below for reference: Large Binocular Telescope (LBT); 8.4 m(x2) or 11.8 m 464.5″ Reflector - Multi-mirror (2); World’s largest 2008; Mount Graham International Observatory, Arizona; completed 2008. Gran Telescopio Canarias (GTC); 10.4 m 410″ Reflector – Segmented (36); World’s largest 2009; ORM, Canary Islands, Spain; completed 2006. Keck 1; 10 m 400″ Reflector – Segmented (36); World’s largest 1993; Mauna Kea Observatory, Hawaii Completed 1993. Hubble (HST); 2.4 m 94″ Single Largest Visible-light space based telescope Low Earth orbit NASA+ESA ; Launched 1990. BTA-6; 6 m 238″ Reflector; World’s largest 1976; Zelenchukskaya, Caucasus; Completed 1976. McMath-Pierce Solar Telescope; 1.61 m 63″ Single Largest solar telescope; Kitt Peak National Observatory, USA; Completed 1962 . Hale Telescope; (200 inch) 5.08 m 200″ Reflector; World’s largest 1948; Palomar Observatory, California; Completed 1948. Samuel Oschin telescope; 1.22 m 48″ Schmidt; World’s largest Schmidt camera 1948; Palomar Observatory; California; Completed 1948. 69-inch Perkins Telescope; 1.75 m 69″ Single; Perkins Observatory, Ohio; Completed 1931-1964. Plaskett telescope; 1.83 m 72″; Single designed as World’s largest but beat by Hooker 100-Inch; Dominion Astrophysical Observatory, Canada; Completed 1918. Hooker 100-Inch Telescope; 2.54 m 100″ Reflector; World’s largest 1917 Mt. Wilson Observatory; California Completed 1917. Hale 60-Inch Telescope 1.524 m 60″ Single Mt. Wilson Observatory; California 1908 Harvard 60-inch Reflector 1.524 m 60″ Single Harvard College Observatory, USA 1905-1931 George Ritchey 40-inch (1 m); 102 cm 40″ Ritchey-Chretien; Flagstaff, Arizona (Washington, D.C. until 1955). Completed 1934. Zeiss di Merate (1m reflector); 100 cm 39.4″ Single; Merate Observatory, Merate, Italy; Completed 1926. Zeiss 1m; reflector 100 cm 39.4″ Single; Royal Observatory., Uccle, Belgium. Hamburg Spiegelteleskop (1m reflector); 100 cm 39.4″ Single ;Hamburg-Bergdorf Obs., Germany Completed 1911. Great Paris Exhibition Telescope of 1900; 125 cm 49.21" refractor; largest refractor ever built Exposition Universelle (1900); Completed 1900. Yerkes Observatory 102 cm; 40″ refractor; largest operational refractor: Lick Observatory, California, USA; Completed 1897. Crossley Reflector 91.4 cm; 36″ glass – reflector; First Astrophotographic telescope built by Andrew Ainslie Common; Ealing,London, England / Lick Observatory, USA. Completed 1879. Great Melbourne Telescope 1.22 m; 48″ Metal ; Melbourne Observatory, Australia; Completed 1867. William Lassell 48-inch; 1.22 m 48″ Speculum Metal Reflector; Malta; Completed 1861-1865. Leviathan of Parsonstown 1.83 m; 72″ speculum metal - reflector World’s largest 1845; Constructed William Parsons, 3rd Earl Rosse, Birr Castle; Ireland; Completed 1845. William Lassell 24-inch 61 cm 24″ metal - reflector Liverpool, England 1845 Great Dorpat Refractor (Fraunhofer); Dorpat/Tartu Observatory 24 cm 9.6″; Achromatic refractor "... the first modern, achromatic, refracting telescope." Dorpat, Governorate of Estonia; Completed 1824. Rosse 36-inch Telescope; 91.4 cm 36″ speculum metal – reflector; William Parsons, Birr Castle Ireland; Completed 1826 Herschel 40-foot (126 cm d.); 1.26 m 49.5″ Reflector - metal mirror; World’s largest 1789; Observatory House; England; Completed 1789-1815. Herschel 20-foot (47.5 cm d.); 47.5 cm 18.5″ Metal; Observatory House; England; Completed 1782. Rev John Michell Gregorian reflector; 75 cm 29.5″ Reflector – Gregorian; World’s largest 1780; Yorkshire, England; Completed 1780-1789. Father Noel Gregorian reflector; 60 cm 23.5″ Reflector – Gregorian; World’s largest 1761; Paris, France; Completed 1761. James Short Gregorian reflector 50 cm; 19.5" Reflector – Gregorian; World’s largest 1750; Scotland; Completed 1750. James Short Gregorian reflector 38 cm; 14″ Reflector - Gregorian World’s largest 1734; Scotland; Completed 1734. John Hadley Reflector 15 cm; 6″ Metal; First parabolic Newtonian; England (mobile; Completed 1721. Christiaan Huygens 210 foot refractor 22 cm; 8.5" Refractor - Aerial telescope; World’s largest 1686 Netherlands. Completed 1686. Christiaan Huygens 170 foot refractor 20 cm 8" Refractor - Aerial telescope World’s largest 1689 Netherlands 1686. Christiaan Huygens 210 foot refractor 19 cm; 7.5" Refractor - Aerial telescope World’s largest 1686; Netherlands; Completed 1686. Robert Hooke reflector; 18 cm 7″ Reflector; World’s largest 16??; Completed England 16?? Isaac Newton's Reflector; 3.3 cm 1.3″ Metal ; First reflecting telescope; England (mobile); Completed 1669. Johannes Hevelius refractor 12 cm; 4.7″ Refractor World’s largest 1645; Gdańsk (Danzig), Poland; Completed 1645. Johannes Hevelius/ Christoph Scheiner helioscope 6 cm; 2.3″ Refractor; World’s largest 1638; Gdańsk (Danzig), Poland; Completed 1638. Galileo's 1620 telescope; 3.8 cm 1.5″ Refractor; World’s largest 1638; Italy; Completed 1638. Galileo's 1612 telescope; 2.6 cm 1″ Refractor; World’s largest 1612; Italy; Completed 1612. Galileo's 1609 telescope; 1.5 cm .62″ Refractor; World’s largest 1609 Italy; Completed 1609. Hans Lippershey's telescope; ? cm .?″ Refractor; World’s first recorded telescope; Netherlands; Completed 1608. Herschel 7' Telescope 36" Crossley Reflector 48" Melbourne Reflector (All Telescopes) Carte du Ciel Astrograph Craig 24-inch Refractor Crossley 36-inch Reflector Daramona 24-inch Reflector Dorpat 9.6-inch Refractor Galileo's Telescope Grand Equatorial Coude Greenwich 28-inch Refractor Hadley 6-inch Reflector Hale 200-inch Reflector Harvard 15-inch Refractor Henry Draper 11-inch Refractor Herschel 40-foot Telescope Herschel's 7-foot Reflector Hevelius 150-foot Telescope Hooker 100-inch Reflector Hubble Space Telescope Huggins 8-inch Refractor Lassell 48" Reflector Lick 36-inch Refractor Lord Rosse's 72-inch Reflector Melbourne 48-inch Reflector Meudon 33-inch Refractor Mount Wilson 60-inch Reflector Newall 25-inch Refractor Newton's Reflector Nice 30-inch Refractor Pulkovo 30-inch Refractor Roberts 20-inch Reflector Rockefeller 60-inch Reflector Smyth Equatorial Refractor Thaw 30-inch Refractor USNO 26-inch Refractor Yerkes 40-inch Refractor (All Observatories) Allegheny Observatory Andrew Common Observatory Birr Castle Danzig, Poland Dorpat Observatory Hadley's House Harvard College Observatory Henry Draper Observatory Lassell Observatory Lick Observatory Melbourne Observatory Mount Palomar Observatory Mount Wilson Observatory Nice Observatory Observatory House Paris Observatory Pulkovo Observatory Robert Newall Observatory Royal Greenwich Observatory Space Starfield Observatory University of Padua, Italy Wandsworh Common William Herschel House William Huggins Observatory William Smyth Observatory Woolsthorpe Manor Yerkes Observatory (All Locations) Birr Castle Boyden Observatory, Bloemfontein, SA Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA Earth Orbit Hastings-on-Hudson, New York, USA In Storage Liverpool Museum, England Meudon, Paris, France Mount Hamilton, California, USA Mount Palomar, California, USA Mount Stromlo, Canberra, Australia Mount Wilson, California, USA Museum of Science, Florence, Italy Nice, France Not Extant Not Known Paris Observatory Museum Penteli Observatory, Athens, Greece Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA Science Museum, London, England Tartu Observatory, Estonia Washington DC, USA Wiiliams Bay, Wisconsin, USA (All Types) Cassegrain Mixed Reflector Newtonian Reflector Not Known Refractor Ritchey Chretien Schmidt Cassegrain Image Telescope Date Type Observatory Original Site Present Location Details Carte du Ciel Astrograph 1890 Refractor Paris Observatory Paris France Paris Observatory Museum More... Craig 24-inch Refractor 1852 Refractor Wandsworh Common Wandsworh Common Not Extant More... Crossley 36-inch Reflector 1879 Newtonian Reflector Lick Observatory Lick Observatory, Mount Hamilton, California Mount Hamilton, California, USA More... Daramona 24-inch Reflector 1881 Cassegrain Daramona Observatory Streete, Westmeath, Ireland Liverpool Museum, England More... Dorpat 9.6-inch Refractor 1824 Refractor Dorpat Observatory Dorpat, Russia Tartu Observatory, Estonia More... Galileo's Telescope 1609 Refractor University of Padua, Italy Padua, Italy Museum of Science, Florence, Italy More... Grand Equatorial Coude 1891 Refractor Paris Observatory Meudon, Paris, France In Storage More... Greenwich 28-inch Refractor 1894 Refractor Royal Greenwich Observatory Greenwich, London, England National Maritime Museum, Greenwich More... Hadley 6-inch Reflector 1721 Newtonian Reflector Hadley's House East Barnet, Hertfordshire Not Known More... Hale 200-inch Reflector 1948 Mixed Reflector Mount Palomar Observatory Mount Palomar, California, USA Mount Palomar, California, USA More... Harvard 15-inch Refractor 1847 Refractor Harvard College Observatory Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA More... Henry Draper 11-inch Refractor 1880 Refractor Henry Draper Observatory Hastings-on-Hudson, New York, USA Hastings-on-Hudson, New York, USA More... Herschel 40-foot Telescope 1789 Newtonian Reflector Observatory House Slough, England National Maritime Museum, Greenwich More... Herschel's 7-foot Reflector 1780 Newtonian Reflector William Herschel House King Street, Bath, England Science Museum, London, England More... 1 2 3