List of the largest optical telescopes in North America explained

This is a list of the largest optical telescopes in North America.

21st century

A list of optical telescopes located in North America by aperture.

Name Image Nationality / Sponsors Site Built
Large Binocular Telescope (LBT) 11.9 m (8.4 m×2) 330" × 2 Multiple mirror, 2 Mount Graham International Obs., Arizona, USA 2004
Hobby–Eberly Telescope (HET) (11 m × 9.8 m mirror) 10 m 394" Segmented, 91 McDonald Observatory, Texas, USA 1997
Subaru (JNLT) 8.2 m 323" Single Japan Mauna Kea Observatories, Hawaii, USA 1999
MMT (1 x 6.5 M1) 6.5 m 256" Single F. L. Whipple Obs., Arizona, USA 2000
Hale Telescope (200 inch) 5.08 m 200" Single Palomar Observatory, California, USA 1948
MMT (6 × 1.8 m) original optics 4.7 m
(6 × 1.8 m)[1] 		186" Segmented, 6 F. L. Whipple Obs., Arizona, USA 1979–1998
Lowell Discovery Telescope[2] 4.3 m 169" Single USA Lowell Observatory, Happy Jack, Arizona 2012
4 m 158" Single Haleakala Observatory, Hawaii, USA 2019
Nicholas U. Mayall 4m[3] 4 m 158" Single Kitt Peak National Obs., Arizona, USA 1973
USAF Starfire 3.5 m[4] 3.5 m 138" Single Starfire Optical Range, New Mexico, USA 1994
3.5 m 138" Single Kitt Peak National Obs., Arizona, USA 1994
Astrophysical Research Consortium (ARC) 3.48 m 137" Single Apache Point Obs., New Mexico, USA 1994
3.05 m 120" Single Lick Observatory, California, USA 1959
NASA-LMT[5] retired 3 m 118" 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 Built CommentsImage
Yerkes Observatory[6] 102 cm (40") 19.4 m (62′) 1897 Largest in current operation[7]
91 cm (36") 17.6 m 1888  
76 cm (30") 14.1 m 1914 Brashear made, photographic[8]
66 cm (26") 9.9 m 1884 completed c. 1874, installed 1884
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.
Pennsylvania, USA 61 cm (24") 11.0 m (36 ft) 1911 Currently under restoration to be re-installed in Northwest Arkansas[9]
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		ApertureFirst
Light		Nation
Hale Telescope
Palomar Obs.		200 inch
508 cm		1949 United States
Hooker Telescope
Mount Wilson Obs.		100 inch
254 cm		1917 United States
McDonald Obs. 82 inch
i.e. Otto Struve Telescope		82 inch
208 cm		1939 United States
David Dunlap Observatory74 inch
188 cm		1935 Canada
Plaskett telescope
Dominion Astrophysical Obs.		72 inch
182 cm		1918 Canada
69 inch
175 cm 		1931–1964
61 inch
155 cm 		1933–2005[12] United States
60 inch
152.4 cm 		1908 United States

Biggest telescopes in 1900

Name/Observatory Aperture
cm (in) 		Location then (Original Site) Extant*
102 cm (40") achromat 1897
91 cm (36") achromat 1888
Crossley Reflector[13] 91.4 cm(36") Lick Observatory, California, USA 1896
71 cm (28") reflector Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA 1889[14]
67 cm (26.37") achromat 1883
66 cm (26") achromat 1873
61 cm (24") achromat Arizona, USA 1896
58.4 cm (23") achromat Princeton, USA 1881
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
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
30 cm (12") achromat Urbana, Illinois, USA 1896
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, USA 1836[19]
Utzschneider & Fraunhofer Comet Seeker[20] 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) 		Location then (Original Site) Extant*
38 cm (15") achromat Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA 1847
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[21]
Fraunhofer Refractor, United States Naval Observatory (Foggy Bottom) 24.4 cm (9.6") achromat Foggy Bottom, D.C., USA 1844
Wesleyan University 6-inch Lerebours refractor 15.24 cm (6") achromat Connecticut, USA 1836
Yale Dollond 5-inch, Yale College Observatory12.7 cm (5") achromat New Haven, Connecticut, USA 1828
Utzschneider & Fraunhofer Comet Seeker10.2 cm (4") acrhomat Foggy Bottom, D.C., USA 1843

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Dwayne . Day . Mirrors in the dark . The Space Review . 2009-05-11 . 2012-01-03.
  2. Web site: Lowell Observatory – DCT status . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120902003450/http://www.lowell.edu/dct.php . September 2, 2012.
  3. Web site: The Mayall 4-Meter Telescope . Noao.edu . February 27, 1973 . August 19, 2009.
  4. Web site: John Pike . Starfire . Globalsecurity.org . August 19, 2009.
  5. Web site: NASA Orbital Debris Observatory . Astro.ubc.ca . August 19, 2009.
  6. Web site: The 40-inch . 2012-05-29 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090225000634/http://astro.uchicago.edu/vtour/40inch/ . 2009-02-25 . dead .
  7. Web site: Yerkes Observatory. Encyclopedia Britannica.
  8. Web site: World's Biggest Refractors . 2009-03-30 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20081121025916/http://www.flamsteed.info/fasother6_files/page0001.htm . 2008-11-21 .
  9. Large telescope moves to Northwest Arkansas to further STEM recruitment goals
  10. Web site: History . Perkins Observatory . 1 August 1998 . 5 March 2012 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20060928085124/http://www.perkins-observatory.org/history.html . 28 September 2006 .
  11. Web site: Optical seti photographs . 2010-10-06 . https://web.archive.org/web/20100627200005/http://seti.harvard.edu/oseti/targeted/photos.htm . 2010-06-27 . live .
  12. Web site: Wyeth Reflector at Oak Ridge Observatory . 2019-10-05 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120324194726/http://tdc-www.harvard.edu/oakridge/oakridge/wyeth.html . 2012-03-24 . dead .
  13. Web site: Mt. Hamilton Telescopes: CrossleyTelescope. www.ucolick.org. September 8, 2019.
  14. Web site: 1914Obs....37..245H Page 250. September 8, 2019.
  15. Web site: Harvard College Observatory: Great Refractor. www.cfa.harvard.edu. September 8, 2019.
  16. Web site: Fitz/Clark 12-in Refractor.
  17. Book: The General History of Astronomy. February 11, 1900. Cambridge University Press. 9780521242561. Google Books.
  18. Web site: History, Astronomy – Wesleyan University .
  19. Photographic and visual observations of Mars in 1926 (Abstract). 1927PA.....35S.210S. Slipher. E. C.. Popular Astronomy. 1927. 35. 210.
  20. Book: The General History of Astronomy. 1900. Cambridge University Press. 9780521242561. en.
  21. Book: Jones . Bessie Judith (Zaban) . The Harvard College Observatory: The First Four Directorships, 1839–1919 . Gifford . Lyle . 1971 . Harvard University Press . 9780674374607 . en-us.

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