List of the largest optical telescopes in North America
List of the largest optical telescopes in the contiguous United States ranks telescopes of North America, a continent in the northern hemisphere of Earth.
![](../I/m/Chicago's_Great_Telescope_(3573567148).jpg)
The Yerkes Great refractor mounted at the 1893 World's Fair in Chicago
21st century
For now optical telescopes located in the contiguous United States by aperture.
Name | Image | Effective aperture m | Aper. in | Mirror type | Nationality / Sponsors | Site | Built |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Large Binocular Telescope (LBT) | ![]() | 11.9 m (8.4 m×2) | 330″×2 | Multiple mirror, 2 | USA, Italy, Germany | Mount Graham International Obs., Arizona, USA | 2004 |
Hobby-Eberly Telescope (HET) (11 m × 9.8 m mirror) | ![]() | 10 m | 394″ | Segmented, 91 | USA, Germany | McDonald Observatory, Texas, USA | 1997 |
MMT (1 x 6.5 M1) | ![]() | 6.5 m | 256″ | Single | USA | F. L. Whipple Obs., Arizona, USA | 2000 |
Hale Telescope (200 inch) | ![]() | 5.08 m | 200″ | Single | USA | Palomar Observatory, California, USA | 1948 |
MMT (6×1.8 m) original optics | 4.7 m (6×1.8 m) [1] | 186″ | Segmented, 6 | USA | F. L. Whipple Obs., Arizona, USA | 1979–1998 | |
Lowell Discovery Telescope[2] | 4.3 m | 169″ | Single | USA | Lowell Observatory, Happy Jack, Arizona | 2012 | |
Nicholas U. Mayall 4m[3] | 4 m | 158 inch | Single | USA | Kitt Peak National Obs., Arizona, USA | 1973 | |
USAF Starfire 3.5 m [4] | ![]() | 3.5 m | 138″ | Single | USA | Starfire Optical Range, New Mexico, USA | 1994 |
WIYN Telescope | ![]() | 3.5 m | 138″ | Single | USA | Kitt Peak National Obs., Arizona, USA | 1994 |
Space Surveillance Telescope | ![]() | 3.5 m | 138″ | Single | USA | White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico, USA | 2011 |
Astrophysical Research Consortium (ARC) | ![]() | 3.48 m | 137″ | Single | USA | Apache Point Obs., New Mexico, USA | 1994 |
Shane Telescope | 3.05 m | 120″ | Single | USA | Lick Observatory, California, USA | 1959 | |
NASA-LMT[5] retired | ![]() | 3 m | 118″ | Liquid | USA | NASA Orbital Debris Obs., New Mexico, USA | 1995–2002 |
For telescopes below 3 meters see List of large optical telescopes |
Refractors
Some of the big traditional refractors (telescope with lens) in North America:
Name/Observatory | Location | Lens diameter | Focal length | Built | Comments | Image |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Yerkes Observatory[6] | Williams Bay, Wisconsin, USA | 102 cm (40″) | 19.4 m (62′) | 1897 | Largest in current operation.[7] | ![]() |
James Lick telescope Lick Observatory | Mount Hamilton, California, USA | 91 cm (36″) | 17.6 m | 1888 | ![]() | |
William Thaw Telescope Allegheny Observatory | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA | 76 cm (30″) | 14.1 m | 1914 | Brashear made, photographic[8] | ![]() |
Leander McCormick Observatory | Charlottesville, Virginia, USA | 66 cm (26" ) | 9.9 m | 1884 | completed c. 1874, installed 1884 | ![]() |
U.S. Naval Observatory | Foggy Bottom Washington, DC, USA moved to Northwest, Washington, D.C., 1893 | 66 cm (26") | 9.9 m | 1873 | Largest refractor in 1873. Alvan Clark & Sons mounting replaced with Warner & Swasey mounting in 1893. | ![]() |
Sproul Observatory | Pennsylvania, USA | 61 cm (24″) | 11.0 m (36 ft) | 1911 | Currently under restoration to be re-installed in Northwest Arkansas[9] | ![]() |
Lowell Observatory | Arizona, USA | 61 cm (24″) | 9.75 m (32 ft) | 1894 | Alvan Clark & Sons telescope | ![]() |
Biggest telescopes in 1950
Optical telescopes only
Name / Observatory |
Image Out |
Image In |
Aperture | First Light |
Nation |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Hale Telescope Palomar Obs. |
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200-inch 508 cm |
1949 | ![]() |
Hooker Telescope Mount Wilson Obs. |
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100 inch 254 cm |
1917 | ![]() |
McDonald Obs. 82 inch i.e. Otto Struve Telescope |
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82 inch 208 cm |
1939 | ![]() | |
David Dunlap Observatory | ![]() |
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74 inch 188 cm |
1935 | ![]() |
Plaskett telescope Dominion Astrophysical Obs. |
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72 inch 182 cm |
1918 | ![]() |
69-inch Perkins Telescope[10] Perkins Observatory | ![]() | 69 inch 175 cm | 1931–1964 | ![]() | |
Wyeth 61" reflector[11] Oak Ridge Observatory | ![]() | 61 inch 155 cm | 1933-2005[12] | ![]() | |
60 inch Hale Mount Wilson Observatory | 60 inch 152.4 cm | 1908 | ![]() | ||
Biggest telescopes in 1900
Name/Observatory | Aperture cm (in) |
Type | Location then (Original Site) | Extant* |
---|---|---|---|---|
Yerkes Observatory[6] | 102 cm (40″) | achromat | Williams Bay, Wisconsin, USA | 1897 |
James Lick telescope, Lick Observatory | 91 cm (36″) | achromat | Mount Hamilton, California, USA | 1888 |
Crossley Reflector[13] | 91.4 cm(36″) | reflector – glass | Lick Observatory, USA | 1896 |
Harvard College Observatory | 71 cm (28″) | reflector | United States | 1889[14] |
McCormick Observatory | 67 cm (26.37") | achromat | Charlottesville, Virginia, USA | 1883 |
U.S. Naval Observatory | 66 cm (26") | achromat | Washington, DC, USA | 1873 |
Lowell Observatory | 61 cm (24″) | achromat | Arizona, USA | 1896 |
Halstead Observatory | 58.4 cm (23″) | achromat | Princeton, USA | 1881 |
Chamberlin Observatory | 50 cm (20″) | achromat | Colorado, USA | 1891 |
18½-in Dearborn Observatory Refractor | 47 cm (18.5″) | achromat | Chicago (1862–1893), Evanston, Illinois (1893), USA | 1862 |
Flower Observatory | 46 cm (18″) | achromat | Philadelphia, USA | 1896 |
Harvard Great Refractor, Harvard College Observatory[15] | 38 cm (15″) | achromat | Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA | 1847 |
Wellesley College Whitin Observatory 12-inch Fitz Jacob Campbell's 12 inch refractor[16] | 30 cm (12″) | achromat | Massachusetts, USA New York, USA | 1900 1852 |
University of Illinois Observatory | 30 cm (12″) | achromat | Urbana, Illinois, USA | 1896 |
Merz und Mahler (Mitchell cupola), Cincinnati Observatory | 28 cm (11″) | achromat | Cincinnati, Ohio, USA | 1843 |
Fraunhofer Refractor, United States Naval Observatory (Foggy Bottom) | 24.4 cm (9.6″) | achromat | Foggy Bottom, D.C., USA | 1844 [17] |
Wesleyan University 6-inch Lerebours refractor[18] | 15.24 cm (6″) | achromat | Connecticut | 1836 [19] [20] |
Utzschneider & Fraunhofer Comet Seeker[21] | 10.2 cm (4″) | acrhomat | Foggy Bottom, D.C., USA | 1843 |
Biggest telescopes in 1850
Some of the largest at observatories:
Name/Observatory | Aperture cm (in) |
Type | Location then (Original Site) | Extant* |
---|---|---|---|---|
Harvard Great Refractor, Harvard College Observatory[15] | 38 cm (15″) | achromat | Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA | 1847 |
Merz und Mahler (Mitchell cupola), Cincinnati Observatory | 28 cm (11″) | achromat | Cincinnati, Ohio, USA | 1843 |
West Point Observatory 9.75 inch Fitz equatorial | 24.77 cm (9.75″) | achromat | West Point, USA | 1839 [22] |
Fraunhofer Refractor, United States Naval Observatory (Foggy Bottom) | 24.4 cm (9.6″) | achromat | Foggy Bottom, D.C., USA | 1844 [17] |
Wesleyan University 6-inch Lerebours refractor[23] | 15.24 cm (6″) | achromat | Connecticut | 1836 |
Yale Dollond 5-inch, Yale College Observatory | 12.7 cm (5″) | achromat | New Haven, Connecticut | 1828[22] |
Utzschneider & Fraunhofer Comet Seeker[21] | 10.2 cm (4″) | acrhomat | Foggy Bottom, D.C., USA | 1843 |
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See also
References
- Day, Dwayne (2009-05-11). "Mirrors in the dark". The Space Review. Retrieved 2012-01-03.
- "Lowell Observatory - DCT status". Archived from the original on September 2, 2012.
- "The Mayall 4-Meter Telescope". Noao.edu. February 27, 1973. Retrieved August 19, 2009.
- John Pike. "Starfire". Globalsecurity.org. Retrieved August 19, 2009.
- "NASA Orbital Debris Observatory". Astro.ubc.ca. Retrieved August 19, 2009.
- "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2009-02-25. Retrieved 2012-05-29.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
- "Yerkes Observatory". Encyclopedia Britannica.
- "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2008-11-21. Retrieved 2009-03-30.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
- Large telescope moves to Northwest Arkansas to further STEM recruitment goals
- "History". Perkins Observatory. 1 August 1998. Archived from the original on 28 September 2006. Retrieved 5 March 2012.
- "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2010-06-27. Retrieved 2010-10-06.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
- "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2012-03-18. Retrieved 2019-10-05.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
- "Mt. Hamilton Telescopes: CrossleyTelescope". www.ucolick.org. Retrieved September 8, 2019.
- "1914Obs....37..245H Page 250". Retrieved September 8, 2019.
- "Harvard College Observatory: Great Refractor". www.cfa.harvard.edu. Retrieved September 8, 2019.
- "The General History of Astronomy". Cambridge University Press. February 11, 1900 – via Google Books.
- The General History of Astronomy. Cambridge University Press. 1900. ISBN 9780521242561.
- Jones, Bessie Judith (Zaban); Jones, Bessie Z.; Jones, Bessie Zaban; Boyd, Lyle Gifford (1971). The Harvard College Observatory: The First Four Directorships, 1839-1919. Harvard University Press. ISBN 9780674374607.
External links
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