Leviathan ( Eng. Leviathan of Parsonstown - Leviathan of Parsonstown , or Eng. Rosse six-foot telescope - 6-foot Ross telescope ) is an optical telescope built by Irish astronomer William Parsons in 1845 in his ancestral estate, in Birr Castle . Until 1917 it was considered the largest in the world. Using this tool, Parsons was able to observe the spiral structure of galaxies.
| Leviathan | |
|---|---|
| Leviathan of parsonstown | |
| Type of | and |
| Coordinates | |
| opening date | 1845 |
| Start Date | |
| Diameter | 72 inches |
| Focal length | |
| Site | |
Creation History
A bronze mirror was cast in the spring of 1842. The refinement of a bronze mirror weighing 4 tons and the installation of an 18-meter telescope construction lasted until February 1845, when the telescope went into operation.
William Parsons , his son Lawrence Parsons , and John (Johan) Dreyer worked with the telescope.
He worked until 1908 [2] . Dismantled in 1914.
Modern Replica
In 1997, a copy of the telescope (without a working mirror) was installed in Birr Castle. Because drawings of the original telescope were not preserved, the design was restored according to the descriptions and photographs of Mary Ross .
In 1999, a working mirror was installed on the telescope (not bronze, as in the original, but made of polished aluminum).
Literature
- F. Yu. Siegel . Astronomers are watching. - 2nd ed., Rev. and add. - M.: Science. Ch. ed. Phys.-Math. literature, 1985 .-- 192 p. : ill.
- Pozdnyakova Irina. Amateur astronomy: people who discovered the sky M .: AST, 2018 .-- 334 pp., Ill.
- A. Sukhorukov. Password - BTA - 1988
Notes
- ↑ Berry A. A Short History of Astronomy - John Murray , 1898.
- ↑ The largest and most powerful telescopes in the world