Leviathan telescope. Coloured historical artwork of the metre (m) telescope named the Leviathan of Parsontown. It was completed by William Parsons
Leviathan telescope. Coloured historical artwork of the metre (m) telescope named the Leviathan of Parsontown. It was completed by William Parsons, 3rd Earl of Rosse, on his home estate in Ireland in 1845. At the time it was the world's largest telescope, having taken 12 years to build at a cost of 12,000 pounds. Its mirror weighed 4060 kilograms and had a tube over 15m. It was supported by a complex system of platforms, pulleys and chains. It was protected from high winds by two masonry walls, which restricted the viewing. With it Parsons identified 15 spiral galaxies, and deduced their true nature. It was dismantled in 1908.
Size: 4602px × 3053px
Photo credit: © Science Photo Library / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: astronomical, astronomy, birr, castle, earl, equipment, historical, history, instrument, ireland, irish, leviathan, parsons, parsontown, reflector, rosse, telescope, telescopes, william
