I'm always curious about historical telescopes. I've "concentrated" on a couple here (36-inch Crossley and 24-inch Yerkes reflectors), but most telescopes are famous for what they discover rather than the technology employed in them.
The 15-inch Grubb reflector at Armagh Observatory is possibly the first reflector to use a true balanced mirror cell. Mirror cells are taken for granted today; I never thought of wondering when it was invented. Thankfully, this telescope has been preserved and is in use today. The Armagh website is also very interesting and worth visiting. The scope is truly a work of art.
http://star.arm.ac.uk/history/instruments/Grubb-15inch.html
Sunday, July 22, 2007
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