List of the largest optical telescopes in North America

The Yerkes Great refractor mounted at the 1893 World's Fair in Chicago

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 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
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 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
Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope 4 m 158" Single USA Haleakala Observatory, Hawaii, USA 2019
Nicholas U. Mayall 4m[3] 4 m 158" 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
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 refracting lens telescopes 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 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
Further information: List of largest optical refracting telescopes

Biggest telescopes in 1950

Optical telescopes only

Name /
Observatory 		Image
Out 		Image
In 		Aperture First
Light 		Nation
Hale Telescope
Palomar Obs. 		200 inch
508 cm 		1949  USA
Hooker Telescope
Mount Wilson Obs. 		100 inch
254 cm 		1917  USA
McDonald Obs. 82 inch
i.e. Otto Struve Telescope 		82 inch
208 cm 		1939  USA
David Dunlap Observatory 74 inch
188 cm 		1935  Canada
Plaskett telescope
Dominion Astrophysical Obs. 		72 inch
182 cm 		1918  Canada
69-inch Perkins Telescope[10]
Perkins Observatory		 69 inch
175 cm		 1931–1964  USA
Wyeth 61" reflector[11]
Oak Ridge Observatory		 61 inch
155 cm		 1933–2005[12]  USA
60 inch Hale
Mount Wilson Observatory		 60 inch
152.4 cm		 1908  USA

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, California, USA 1896
Harvard College Observatory 71 cm (28") reflector Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA 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, USA 1836[18][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) 		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[21]
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
Yale Dollond 5-inch, Yale College Observatory 12.7 cm (5") achromat New Haven, Connecticut, USA 1828[21]
Utzschneider & Fraunhofer Comet Seeker[20] 10.2 cm (4") acrhomat Foggy Bottom, D.C., USA 1843

See also

References

  1. ^ Day, Dwayne (2009-05-11). "Mirrors in the dark". The Space Review. Retrieved 2012-01-03.
  2. ^ "Lowell Observatory – DCT status". Archived from the original on September 2, 2012.
  3. ^ "The Mayall 4-Meter Telescope". Noao.edu. February 27, 1973. Retrieved August 19, 2009.
  4. ^ John Pike. "Starfire". Globalsecurity.org. Retrieved August 19, 2009.
  5. ^ "NASA Orbital Debris Observatory". Astro.ubc.ca. Retrieved August 19, 2009.
  6. ^ a b "The 40-inch". Archived from the original on 2009-02-25. Retrieved 2012-05-29.
  7. ^ "Yerkes Observatory". Encyclopedia Britannica.
  8. ^ "World's Biggest Refractors". Archived from the original on 2008-11-21. Retrieved 2009-03-30.
  9. ^ Large telescope moves to Northwest Arkansas to further STEM recruitment goals
  10. ^ "History". Perkins Observatory. 1 August 1998. Archived from the original on 28 September 2006. Retrieved 5 March 2012.
  11. ^ "Optical seti photographs". Archived from the original on 2010-06-27. Retrieved 2010-10-06.
  12. ^ "Wyeth Reflector at Oak Ridge Observatory". Archived from the original on 2012-03-24. Retrieved 2019-10-05.
  13. ^ "Mt. Hamilton Telescopes: CrossleyTelescope". www.ucolick.org. Retrieved September 8, 2019.
  14. ^ "1914Obs....37..245H Page 250". Retrieved September 8, 2019.
  15. ^ a b "Harvard College Observatory: Great Refractor". www.cfa.harvard.edu. Retrieved September 8, 2019.
  16. ^ "Fitz/Clark 12-in Refractor".
  17. ^ a b The General History of Astronomy. Cambridge University Press. February 11, 1900. ISBN 9780521242561 – via Google Books.
  18. ^ a b c "History, Astronomy – Wesleyan University".
  19. ^ Slipher, E. C. (1927). "Photographic and visual observations of Mars in 1926 (Abstract)". Popular Astronomy. 35: 210. Bibcode:1927PA.....35S.210S.
  20. ^ a b The General History of Astronomy. Cambridge University Press. 1900. ISBN 9780521242561.
  21. ^ a b Jones, Bessie Judith (Zaban); Gifford, Lyle (1971). The Harvard College Observatory: The First Four Directorships, 1839–1919. Harvard University Press. ISBN 9780674374607.