The most important telescopes in history?

[Marvin Jenkins]

Just to prevent repeats the big question is “The most important three telescopes in history with the exception of Galileo first scope and JWST.

So many scopes from Radio to visual, Solar, Space based, terrestrial, what was observed, or even more importantly what came from the observations. Odd ones like gravitational wave detectors if people think they should be included?

The elephant in the room is of course Hubble, but that scope was named after a man that used a famous scope to discover galaxies and is credited main stream with proving expansion.

1.2.3. Simple really. Marvin

[sagittariancat]

The Hubble Space Telescope: Launched in 1990, the Hubble Space Telescope has revolutionized our understanding of the universe by providing stunningly detailed images of distant galaxies, stars, and other cosmic objects.

[Marvin Jenkins]

I can’t allow that! It appears in your post twice in two sentences back to back and they line up in the text field so I think there must be some kind of bias🤣

Furthermore you need the top three.

M

Edited February 1, 2023 by Marvin Jenkins
Needed to add a footnote

[Mr H in Yorkshire]

Karl Jansky, 1932 the first discovery of radio waves from space?

[Marvin Jenkins]

1 minute ago, Mr H in Yorkshire said:

Karl Jansky, 1932 the first discovery of radio waves from space?

Is Karl Jansky a telescope? Plus I need your top three.

[Mr H in Yorkshire]

Jansky was the scientist, his 'scope' had no name, it looked like a fairground ride with wires, But who knew before that about radio waves from space? Need 3 eh, in that case Palomar 200inch and Gaia.

 

[saac]

The telescope used by Nelson at the battle of Copenhagen when he he raised it to his blind eye and said "I see no ships" .  He had been ordered by the admiralty to leave the area because of the approaching enemy fleet. He didn't want to go (he was in fighting spirit) , so having seen "no ships" he loitered and subsequently won the day  

Ok , hat and coat I know the routine. 

Jim 

[Craney]

1) Galileo's scope    2)   Newton's Scope    3) er..umm....  my favorite scope.

 

[Zermelo]

This one must be in with a shout, even if it is one of the ugliest scopes ever constructed

 

[Marvin Jenkins]

59 minutes ago, saac said:

The telescope used by Nelson at the battle of Copenhagen when he he raised it to his blind eye and said "I see no ships" .  He had been ordered by the admiralty to leave the area because of the approaching enemy fleet. He didn't want to go (he was in fighting spirit) , so having seen "no ships" he loitered and subsequently won the day  

Ok , hat and coat I know the routine. 

Jim 

Not Astro scope and only one.

[Marvin Jenkins]

1 hour ago, Craney said:

1) Galileo's scope    2)   Newton's Scope    3) er..umm....  my favorite scope.

 

As per the post Gals scope not allowed.

[Marvin Jenkins]

15 minutes ago, Zermelo said:

This one must be in with a shout, even if it is one of the ugliest scopes ever constructed

 

What is it today with posts. Most important three in order!

[Marvin Jenkins]

If it carries on like this I am going to go with top three and say “Red dot finder”.🤣

[saac]

Marvin I think we are being rebellious because we are fed up with this winter weather.  Let it run, I bet some better educated suggestions will start coming in.  Although I do like your Red Dot finder suggestion; I would have offered the Telrad but I'll keep that in reserve for now. 

Jim 

[Marvin Jenkins]

1 hour ago, Mr H in Yorkshire said:

Jansky was the scientist, his 'scope' had no name, it looked like a fairground ride with wires, But who knew before that about radio waves from space? Need 3 eh, in that case Palomar 200inch and Gaia.

 

So far Mr H in Yorkshire you lead the field. With a fairground ride and what seems to be a quick add on😂

[Gfamily]

25 minutes ago, Marvin Jenkins said:

Not Astro scope and only one.

To be honest, the Holmdel Horn Antenna wasn't really an Astro scope. 

Mine - of ones not mentioned

• Hale 200" Telescope at Mount Palomar (removed as already mentioned)  Hooker 100" Telescope
• WMAP
• Bessel's Fraunhofer Heliometer Telescope

 

 

 

Edited February 1, 2023 by Gfamily

[Marvin Jenkins]

3 minutes ago, saac said:

Marvin I think we are being rebellious because we are fed up with this winter weather.  Let it run, I bet some better educated suggestions will start coming in.  Although I do like your Red Dot finder suggestion; I would have offered the Telrad but I'll keep that in reserve for now. 

Jim 

Perhaps I am just a bit edgy as I just got out and looked at the moon for ten minutes. Almost the first Astro in a month!

[Marvin Jenkins]

2 minutes ago, Gfamily said:

To be honest, the Holmdel Horn Antenna wasn't really an Astro scope. 

Mine - of ones not mentioned

• Hale 200" Telescope at Mount Palomar
• WMAP
• Bessel's Fraunhofer Heliometer Telescope

 

 

 

I have no objection to odd ones that don’t fit the mould. Is the horn antenna the one that is threatened by a housing development in the US?

Your third choice is something I have to look into.

Thankyou for not coming back with red dot finder three times.

M

[andrew s]

The Hooker 100 inch must be on the list. Not sure it has a name but the telescope at the Mullard Radio Astronomy Observatory just outside Cambridge with which Jocelyn Bell discovered pulsars. Finally the 48" schmidt telescope that did ground breaking surveys which other scopes exploited. 

Regards Andrew 

Edited February 1, 2023 by andrew s

[PatG]

How about….

1) Hubbles Mount Wilson 100” 

2) and 3) Herschel’s 2no 20’ reflectors

a lot of discoveries made with those scopes..

 

 

 

[Marvin Jenkins]

4 minutes ago, PatG said:

How about….

1) Hubbles Mount Wilson 100” 

2) and 3) Herschel’s 2no 20’ reflectors

a lot of discoveries made with those scopes..

 

 

 

Anything Hershel has to be up there. So many times I find myself looking at targets and find the discoverer has that surname.

M

[Gfamily]

5 minutes ago, Marvin Jenkins said:

Anything Hershel has to be up there. So many times I find myself looking at targets and find the discoverer has that surname.

M

Well, there were three of them doing it. 

[Marvin Jenkins]

2 minutes ago, Gfamily said:

Well, there were three of them doing it. 

Okay vote over 1 Hershel. 2 Hershel. 3 Hershel.🤩

Edited February 1, 2023 by Marvin Jenkins
Got a number wrong.

[pipnina]

Hubble Space Telescope: It is the source of all those pretty pictures whole generations have grown up seeing as THE bar for quality. Plus it allowed us to see back to near primordial times in a cosmological sense and continues its primary mission of observing and measuring extra galactic supernovae to this day, over 30 years later! Plus it was put into orbit in a space shuttle, one of the coolest things to ever fly.

VLT: One of the first observatories to use a laser guide star system for adaptive optics, and THE best interferometer used for astronomical purposes. Besides being a technical marvel and living breathing science and technological development of the most impressive order, it also pinpointed the exact location of the black hole at the center of our galaxy and constructed an image of betelgeuse with surface detail!

Arecibo: aside from simply being massive and cool (the dome was a 5 story tall building by itself!), the telescope's ability to perform active radar imaging of asteroids was pretty unique and cool. It also captured the minds of many.

[Gfamily]

1 minute ago, Marvin Jenkins said:

Okay vote over 1 Hershel. 2 Hershel. 3 Hershel.🤩

Ahem, Herschel, Herschel, Herschel ( but only because you've been picky in your turn  )