Herschel's 20 Foot Telescope, 18th Century

Illustration of the 20-foot reflector telescope designed by the British astronomer William Herschel (1738-1822). With this telescope, Herschel discovered two new satellites of Uranus, later named Titania and Oberon. The tube was 20 feet (6 meters) long. It was easier to use than his larger 40-foot telescope of 1789, but operated in a similar way. An assistant would use the levers to move the telescope (at bottom). Herschel would make his observations from the platform at the front of the telescope, looking down the tube at the mirror, which was made of polished metal instead of glass. The telescope cost thousands of pounds to build

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20-foot Astronomer Astronomical Herschel Herschels Scaffolding Telescope

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