Search our collection

Clear all filters
Image
Category
Collection
Object type
Material
Maker
Place
Date
Caroline Herschel's telescope, 1795-1816

Caroline Herschel's telescope, 1795-1816

1795-1816
Speculum Metal Mirror, 1860

Speculum Metal Mirror, 1860

1860
Small hand Gregorian reflecting telescope

Small hand Gregorian reflecting telescope

1750
Pocket reflecting telescope in leather case.

Pocket reflecting telescope in leather case.

1740-1800
reflection diffraction grating on speculum metal

reflection diffraction grating on speculum metal

1879
Hadley's Gregorian reflecting telescope, c.1740

Hadley's Gregorian reflecting telescope, c.1740

1740-1744
Culpeper microscope with accessories

Culpeper microscope with accessories

Gregorian reflecting telescope of 2 1/2 inch aperture and 8 inch focal length by R.B. Bate

Gregorian reflecting telescope of 2 1/2 inch aperture and 8 inch focal length by R.B. Bate

1808-1850
Prince of Wales microscope

Prince of Wales microscope

1754-1757
Gregorian reflecting telescope, 1748-1788

Gregorian reflecting telescope, 1748-1788

1748-1788
Retaining clip for the Mirror for the Great Rosse Telescope

Retaining clip for the Mirror for the Great Rosse Telescope

1844-1846
The first Gregorian reflecting telescope which was made by John Hadley in 1726

The first Gregorian reflecting telescope which was made by John Hadley in 1726

1740-1744
Brass Gregorian reflecting telescope of 3-inch aperture by John Cuthbert

Brass Gregorian reflecting telescope of 3-inch aperture by John Cuthbert

1852
Small Gregorian reflecting telescope

Small Gregorian reflecting telescope

1760
Gregorian 3-inch aperture reflecting telescope

Gregorian 3-inch aperture reflecting telescope

1753-1755
Brass Gregorian reflecting telescope of 2 1/2-inch aperture by James Short

Brass Gregorian reflecting telescope of 2 1/2-inch aperture by James Short

1760-1762
Gregorian reflecting telescope of 2 1/2 inch aperture and 18 inch focal length by Benjamin Martin

Gregorian reflecting telescope of 2 1/2 inch aperture and 18 inch focal length by Benjamin Martin

1738-1777
Whirling speculum mirror, used for an artificial horizon

Whirling speculum mirror, used for an artificial horizon

1762
Gregorian reflecting telescope of 2 1/2 inch aperture, with stand, tripod and case

Gregorian reflecting telescope of 2 1/2 inch aperture, with stand, tripod and case

1808-1850
Six-foot speculum [metal] mirror on travelling carriage from the Great Rosse Telescope, the 'Leviathan of Parsonstown', built by the Third Earl of Rosse at Birr, Ireland, 1844-46.

Mirror for the Great Rosse Telescope, 1844-1846

1844-1846
The first 48-inch speculum mirror cast by Sir William Herschel in 1785 for his 'Forty-Foot' telescope at Slough, England.

Original mirror for William Herschel's forty-foot telescope, 1785.

1785
Six-foot speculum [metal] mirror on travelling carriage from the Great Rosse Telescope, the 'Leviathan of Parsonstown', built by the Third Earl of Rosse at Birr, Ireland, 1844-46.

Mirror for the Great Rosse Telescope, 1844-1846

1844-1846
The first 48-inch speculum mirror cast with metal cover by Sir William Herschel in 1785 for his 'Forty Foot' telescope at Slough, England.

Original mirror for William Herschel's forty-foot telescope, 1785.

1785
Brass Gregorian reflecting telescope of 3-inch aperture by John Cuthbert, London on altazimuth mount with claw foot stand and adjustable feet, 1852.

Gregorian reflecting telescope, 1852

1852
Four speculum metal secondary mirrors thought to have been made by James Nasmyth. Donated by Lieutent General A de Gorloff who lived at Nasmyth's former home of Hammerfield near Penshurst in Kent.

Four speculum metal secondary mirrors thought to have been made by James Nasmyth

1850-1870
Concave mirror on stand. See note below.

Concave mirror on stand

1752
Tube from Reflecting telescope, 20-inch aperture with speculum mirror and altazimuth mounting, by James Nasmyth at Patricroft, Manchester, England, 1850-1852.

Tube from Reflecting telescope

1850-1852
Set of 3 speculum mirrors [ 2 secondary & 1 tertiary] for reflecting telescope, 20-inch aperture with speculum mirror and altazimuth mounting, by James Nasmyth at Patricroft, Manchester, England, 1850-1852, one small cylindrical metal bit and one curved rectangular metal piece tied together.

Set of 3 speculum mirrors [2 secondary & 1 tertiary] for reflecting telescope

1850-1852
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.

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

1812
Brass Gregorian telescope of 3 1/2 inch aperture by B. Martin, London on altazimuth stand with claw foot stand, 2 eyepieces. The instrument was used by John Winthrop to observe the 1761 transit of Venus. Given to Harvard College by Thomas Hancock of Boston Mass., it is thought to be the only instrument to survive the college fire of 1764.

Gregorian telescope, 3.5 inch aperture

1757-1761
Gregorian reflecting telescope of 2 1/2 inch aperture and 18 inch focal length by Benjamin Martin, London, on an altazimuth stand with a folding claw foot tripod and oak case.

Gregorian reflecting telescope of 2 1/2 inch aperture and 18 inch focal length by Benjamin Martin

1738-1777
Set of 2 secondary mirror support for reflecting telescope, 20-inch aperture with speculum mirror and altazimuth mounting, by James Nasmyth at Patricroft, Manchester, England, 1850-1852.

Set of 2 secondary mirror support for reflecting telescope

1850-1852
Metal cover for the first 48-inch speculum mirror cast by Sir William Herschel in 1785 for his 'Forty-Foot' telescope at Slough, England.

Metal cover for the first 48-inch speculum mirror cast by Sir William Herschel in 1785

1785
Objective mirror assembly for a reflecting microscope comprising large aspheric aluminised speculum metal primary mirror made by I. H. Ford on C. R. Burch's mirror figuring machine at Bristol (Inv. No. 1986-113), plus a small aluminised spherical mirror, made from part of a ball bearing, in a kinematically designed mount allowing backlash-free adjustment of the primary mirror in the x and y directions and the secondary mirror in the z direction, made between about 1954 and 1964.

Objective mirror assembly for a reflecting microscope

1954-1964
Gregorian reflecting telescope of 2 1/8 inch aperture with shagreen covered tube.

Gregorian reflecting telescope of 2 1/8 inch aperture

1724-1731
Brass Gregorian reflecting telescope of 2 3/4-inch aperture by Edward Nairne, London on altazimuth mounting with claw foot tripod.

Brass Gregorian reflecting telescope of 2 3/4-inch aperture by Edward Nairne

1749-1774
Brass Gregorian reflecting telescope of 2 1/2 inch aperture by James Watson, London with altazimuth mount on claw foot stand. Accessories include 2 eyepieces and 2 secondary mirrors with metal tinplate box.

Brass Gregorian reflecting telescope of 2 1/2 inch aperture by James Watson

1780-1824
Brass Cassegrain reflecting telescope of 3 inch apertureby James Watson, London with altazimuth mount on a claw foot stand. Acessories include, a finder telescope, 2 eyepies and a tin box for the speculum mirror.

Brass Cassegrain reflecting telescope of 3 inch apertureby James Watson

1790-1835
Gregorian Reflecting Telescope of 4 3/8-inch aperture by James Short, London [42/1195 = 24] on a folding claw-foot pillar stand.

Gregorian Reflecting Telescope of 4 3/8-inch aperture by James Short

1763-1765
Solar microscope accessory, Cuff's second pattern comprising mounting plate with fixing screws, mirror with adjustments, and tube with condensing lens

Solar microscope accessory

1753
Gregorian reflecting telescope of 2 1/8 inch aperture with shagreen covered tube and wooden case. The telescope has a ball and socket stand with a claw foot tripod and a mahogany stand made by the Science Museum workshops. Attached to the wooden stand is another ball and socket mounting with screw stand added by Mr T H Court, the donor.

Gregorian reflecting telescope of 2 1/8 inch aperture with shagreen covered tube and wooden case

1724-1731
Gregorian reflecting telescope of 2 1/2 inch aperture and a 16 inch focal length of 16 inches by John Cuff, London, on an altazimuth stand with folding claw foot tripod.

Gregorian reflecting telescope of 2 1/2 inch aperture and a 16 inch focal length of 16 inches by John Cuff

1737-1758