Newtonian reflecting telescope made by William Herschel for the Radcliffe Observatory

Made:: 1812 in Slough

maker:: William Herschel

Newtonian reflecting telescope of 10-foot focal length, made by William Herschel, England, 1812. The telescope has an 8-inch speculum mirror, mahogany tube and altazimuth stand. It was installed at the Radcliffe Observatory, Oxford, in 1813.

The German-born astronomer and musician William Herschel (1738–1822) established a reputation for constructing fine reflecting telescopes. Particularly painstaking was the manufacture of the speculum mirror at the heart of each instrument, which he spent many hours grinding and polishing. Herschel personally oversaw the installation and adjustment of this telescope at the Radcliffe Observatory. Originally the instrument had four eyepieces which gave magnifications of 160, 240, 300 and 400 respectively, although these are now missing.

Details

Category:: Astronomy

Object Number:: 1935-5

Materials:: mahogany, brass, iron, glass and complete

Measurements:: overall: 2400 x 650 x 2300 mm

type:: telescope - newtonian and telescope - reflecting

credit:: Trustees of Dr. John Radcliffe

Cite this page

Rights

We encourage the use and reuse of our collection data.

Data in the title, made, maker and details fields are released under Creative Commons Zero . Descriptions and all other text content are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence

Using our data

Download

Download catalogue entry as json

Download manifest IIIF

Our records are constantly being enhanced and improved, but please note that we cannot guarantee the accuracy of any information shown on this website.

Parts

Newtonian reflecting telescope made by William Herschel for the Radcliffe Observatory

Mahogany tube and altazimuth stand from Newtonian reflecting telescope of 10-foot focal length, made by William Herschel, England, 1812. It was installed at the Radcliffe Observatory, Oxford, in 1813.

The German-born astronomer and musician William Herschel (1738–1822) established a reputation for constructing fine reflecting telescopes. Particularly painstaking was the manufacture of the speculum mirror at the heart of each instrument, which he spent many hours grinding and polishing. Herschel personally oversaw the installation and adjustment of this telescope, which has an 8-inch speculum mirror, at the Radcliffe Observatory. Originally the instrument had four eyepieces which gave magnifications of 160, 240, 300 and 400 respectively, although these are now missing.

Measurements:: overall: 70 mm x 170 mm x 150 mm,

Materials:: mahogany (wood) , brass (copper, zinc alloy) , iron and glass

Object Number:: 1935-5 Pt1

type:: instrument component , telescope - newtonian and telescope - reflecting

Accessories for Newtonian reflecting telescope made by William Herschel for the Radcliffe Observatory

Brass crank handle, single eyepiece, key and two broken wooden dowels (possibly unrelated) for Newtonian reflecting telescope of 10-foot focal length, made by William Herschel, England, 1812. The telescope was installed at the Radcliffe Observatory, Oxford, in 1813.

The German-born astronomer and musician William Herschel (1738–1822) established a reputation for constructing fine reflecting telescopes. Particularly painstaking was the manufacture of the speculum mirror at the heart of each instrument, which he spent many hours grinding and polishing. Herschel personally oversaw the installation and adjustment of this telescope, which has an 8-inch speculum mirror, at the Radcliffe Observatory. Originally the instrument had four eyepieces which gave magnifications of 160, 240, 300 and 400 respectively, although these are now missing.

Materials:: brass (copper, zinc alloy) , iron , glass and wood (unidentified)

Object Number:: 1935-5 Pt2

type:: components , eyepieces , reflecting telescopes and astronomical instruments

Eight-inch speculum mirror for Newtonian reflecting telescope made by William Herschel for the Radcliffe Observatory

Eight-inch speculum mirror in a brass cell with tinplate cover, for Newtonian reflecting telescope of 10-foot focal length, made by William Herschel, England, 1812. The telescope was installed at the Radcliffe Observatory, Oxford, in 1813.

The German-born astronomer and musician William Herschel (1738–1822) established a reputation for constructing fine reflecting telescopes. Particularly painstaking was the manufacture of the speculum mirror at the heart of each instrument, which he spent many hours grinding and polishing. Herschel personally oversaw the installation and adjustment of this telescope, which has an 8-inch speculum mirror, at the Radcliffe Observatory. Originally the instrument had four eyepieces which gave magnifications of 160, 240, 300 and 400 respectively, although these are now missing.

Materials:: speculum , brass , iron and complete

Object Number:: 1935-5 Pt3

type:: components , concave mirrors and metal mirrors

Newtonian reflecting telescope made by William Herschel for the Radcliffe Observatory

Details

Parts