The Monster Telescopes, Erected by the Earl of Rosse, Parsonstown : With an Account of the Manufacture of the Specula, and Full Descriptions of All the Machinery Connected with These Instruments

William Parsons (1800-67), third earl of Rosse, was responsible for building the largest telescope of his time, nicknamed the 'Leviathan'. It enabled the earl to describe the spiral structure of galaxies. This volume reissues two contemporary accounts of the telescope. The first, published anonymously in 1844 and later revealed to be by Thomas Woods, provides a comprehensive description of the workings of both the 'Leviathan' and the smaller telescope which preceded it, with detailed accounts of the construction of both telescopes. The second, by another anonymous author, first appeared in the Dublin Review in March 1845, and outlines the history and problems of telescope manufacture from Galileo onwards. Together with a short account from 1842 of the Armagh observatory by its director, these works situate the telescopes, and the difficulties the earl faced during the eighteen years he took to build the 'Leviathan', in their wider context. William Parsons, third earl of Rosse, built the world's largest telescope in 1845, and it enabled him to make unprecedented astronomical discoveries. The three contemporary accounts reissued in this volume include detailed descriptions of the 'Leviathan' and its construction, reports of observations made there, and a history of telescope manufacture. Cover......Page 1 Frontmatter......Page 6 PREFACE......Page 10 PREFACE TO SECOND EDITION......Page 11 Contents......Page 12 PART I - The Manufacture of the Three Foot Speculum, and the Machinery of the Small Telescope......Page 14 PART II - The Manufacture of the Six Foot Speculum, and the Machinery of the "Monster" Telescope......Page 44