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optical telescope comparison table

Subject	has launch date	has reference	has lens maker	has purpose	has latitude	is an instance of	has focal ratio	has limitation	has unvignet$1 corrected field of view	has diagram	has location	has altitude	has mounting manufacturer	has owner	has mirror maker	has scale	has acronym	has temperature	has elliptical orbit	has element separation	has mirror diameter	has diameter corrector plate	has mirror type	has number of segment	has primary mirror diameter	has focal length Cassegrain	has angular resolving power	has aperture	has radius of curvature of focal surface	orbit	has optical design	has focal point distance behind surface of primary	has number of element	has effective diameter	is a kind of	has comment	has diameter secondary	has wavelength sensitivity	has creation date	has operator	has diameter hole in primary	has mount	has longitude	has lens type	has image	has vignetting at 63 arcmin field angle	has distance between mirror	has synonym	has focal length primary	has definition	has element aperture	has diameter primary
2.3-meter Telescope		astroweb		observe celestial objects	12° 35' N	Horseshoe equatorial telescope	f/3.25, 13, 43				Kavalur, Tamil Nadu, India	725 m	Walchandnagar Industries	Vainu Bappu Observatory	Indian Inst. Astrophys.			ambient			equal to aperture (except for Schmidt which has aperture smaller than mirror diameter)		Zerodur					2.33 m											1985			Horseshoe equatorial	78° 50' E					Vainu Bappu 2.3 m
3.5-meter Telescope		astroweb		observe celestial objects	37° 13' N	Horseshoe equatorial telescope	f/3.5, 3.9, 10, 35				Calar Alto, Spain	2168 m	Voith, Heidenheim; Zeiss (Ober.)	Calar Alto Observatory	Zeiss (Ober.)			ambient			equal to aperture (except for Schmidt which has aperture smaller than mirror diameter)		Zerodur					3.50 m											1984	German-Spanish Astronomical Center		Horseshoe equatorial	2° 32' W
Anglo-Australian Telescope		astroweb		observe celestial objects	31° 17' S	Horseshoe equatorial telescope	t/3.3. 8, 15. 36				Siding Spring Mtn., Australia	1149 m	Mitsubishi	Anglo-Australian Observatory	Grubb-Parsons		AAT	ambient			equal to aperture (except for Schmidt which has aperture smaller than mirror diameter)		Cer-Vit					3.893 m											1975			Horseshoe equatorial	149° 04' E
Astrophysical Research Consortium Telescope		astroweb		observe celestial objects	32° 47' N	altazimuth telescope	f/1.75				New Mexico, US	2800 m	the person, company or institution that constructed the mounting	Apache Point	R. Angel, B. Martin			ambient			equal to aperture (except for Schmidt which has aperture smaller than mirror diameter)		spin-cast borosilicate honey-comb					3.5 m											1994			altazimuth	105° 49' W					ARC 3.5 m
Bol'shoi Teleskop Azimutal'nyi		astroweb		observe celestial objects	43° 39' N	altazimuth telescope	f/4, 30				Mount Pastukhov, Russia	2100 m	LOMO	Special Astrophysical Obs.	LOMO			ambient			equal to aperture (except for Schmidt which has aperture smaller than mirror diameter)		Sitall glass					6.00 m								Primary mirror replaced in about 1984, and a third made of Sitall glass was figured in 1992			1975			altazimuth	41° 26'E					6 m
Byurakan 2.6-meter Reflector		astroweb		observe celestial objects	40° 20' N	Fork equatorial telescope	f/3.6, 16, 40				Mount Aragatz, Armenia	1500 m	LOMO	Byurakan Observatory	the person, company or institution that created the mirror			ambient			equal to aperture (except for Schmidt which has aperture smaller than mirror diameter)		material and other engineering details					2.64 m											1976			equatorial fork	44° 18' E					Byurakan 102 inch
C. Donald Shane Telescope		astroweb		observe celestial objects	37° 21' N	Fork equatorial telescope	f/5, 17, 36				Mount Hamilton, Calif., US	1290 m	Judson Pacific-Murphy Corp.	Lick Observatory	Don O. Hendrix			ambient			equal to aperture (except for Schmidt which has aperture smaller than mirror diameter)		Pyrex					3.05 m											1959			equatorial fork	121° 38' W					120 inch
Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope		astroweb		observe celestial objects	19° 49' N	Horseshoe equatorial telescope	f/3.8, 8, 20, 35				Mauna Kea, Hawaii, US	4200 m	SNACRP	Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope Corp.	Dominion Astrophys. Obs.		CFHT	ambient			equal to aperture (except for Schmidt which has aperture smaller than mirror diameter)		Cer-Vit					3.58 m											1979			Horseshoe equatorial	155° 28' W
ESO 3.6-meter Telescope		astroweb		observe celestial objects	29° 16' S	Horseshoe equatorial telescope	f/3.0, 8.1, 32				La Silla, Chile	2387 m	Creusot-Loire	European Southern Observatory	REOSC			ambient			equal to aperture (except for Schmidt which has aperture smaller than mirror diameter)		Fused-silica					3.57 m											1977			Horseshoe equatorial	70° 44' W					ESO 3.6 m
Gemini Telescope North		astroweb		observe celestial objects	19° 49' N	altazimuth telescope	f/1.8, 16IR, 19.6				Mauna Kea, Hawaii, US	4100: m	the person, company or institution that constructed the mounting	Joint Astronomy Center	the person, company or institution that created the mirror			ambient			equal to aperture (except for Schmidt which has aperture smaller than mirror diameter)		material and other engineering details					8.1 m								Coming ULE meniscus primary mirror; this northem instrument is to be optimized for IR work			(1999)			altazimuth	155° 28' W
Gemini Telescope South		astroweb		observe celestial objects	30° 21' S	altazimuth telescope	f/1.8, 6				Cerro Pachon, Chile	2725 m	the person, company or institution that constructed the mounting	Cerro Tololo Inter-American Obs.	the person, company or institution that created the mirror			ambient			equal to aperture (except for Schmidt which has aperture smaller than mirror diameter)		material and other engineering details					8.1 m								Partners in the Gemini project are the US, UK, Canada, Chile, Brazil, and Argentina			(2000)			altazimuth	70° 49' W
George Ellery Hale Telescope		astroweb		observe celestial objects	33° 21' N	Horseshoe equatorial telescope	f/3.3. 16, 30				Palomar Mountain, Calif., US	1706 m	Westinghouse	Palomar Observatory	J.A. Anderson			ambient			equal to aperture (except for Schmidt which has aperture smaller than mirror diameter)		ribbed Corning Pyrex					5.08 m											1948	California Institute of Technology		Horseshoe yoke mount	116° 52' W					200 inch
Gran Telescopio Canarias		astroweb		observe celestial objects	28° 45' N	altazimuth telescope	f/1.75. 15, 25				La Palma, Canary Islands	2400 m	the person, company or institution that constructed the mounting	Obs. del Roque de los Muchachos	the person, company or institution that created the mirror		GTC	ambient			equal to aperture (except for Schmidt which has aperture smaller than mirror diameter)		material and other engineering details					10 m								Design similar to that of the Keck instruments; funded by Spain with international partners			2003			altazimuth	17°54' W
Harlan J. Smith Telescope		astroweb		observe celestial objects	30° 4d N	Cross-axis equatorial telescope	f/3.9, 8.8, 18				Mount Locke, Texas, US	2075 m	Westinghouse	McDonald Observatory	Davidson Optronics			ambient			equal to aperture (except for Schmidt which has aperture smaller than mirror diameter)		Fused-silica					2.72 m											1969			Cross-axis equatorial	104° 01' W					107 inch
Hiltner Telescope		astroweb		observe celestial objects	31° 57' N	Fork equatorial telescope	f/2.07, 13.5				Kitt Peak, Arizona, US	1938 m	DFM Engineering, L & F Industries	Michigan-Dartmouth-MIT Obs.	Contraves (USA)			ambient			equal to aperture (except for Schmidt which has aperture smaller than mirror diameter)		Cer-Vit					2.34 m								Mirrors repolished 1991			1986			Equatorial fork, friction-disk drives	111° 37' W					Hiltner 2.3 m
Hobby-Eberly Telescope		astroweb		spectroscopic survey telescope	30° 41' N	altazimuth telescope	(f/1.4) f/4.7				Mount Fowlkes, Texas, US	2002 m	the person, company or institution that constructed the mounting	University of Texas	Univ. of Texas, Penn. State			ambient			equal to aperture (except for Schmidt which has aperture smaller than mirror diameter)		material and other engineering details					9.2 m equivalent			Spherical figure					A project of five universities in US and Germany; 91 spherical mirrors with combined focus for spectroscopy			1997			altazimuth fixed in altitude but rotates in azimuth	104° 01' W
Hooker Telescope		astroweb		observe celestial objects	34° 13' N	English equatorial telescope	f/5, 16, 30				Mount Wilson, Calif., US	1742 m	FG. Pease and Fore River Shipyards	Mount Wilson Observatory	G.W. Ritchey from Saint-Gobain (Paris)			ambient			equal to aperture (except for Schmidt which has aperture smaller than mirror diameter)		plate-glass					2.5 m								telescope out of service 1985-92			1917			English equatorial	118° 03' W					100 inch
Hubble Space Telescope	1986	Hubble Space Telescope from CADC		observe celestial objects		optical telescope	f/12.9, 30, 48, 96				Earth orbit		Lockheed	Space Telescope Science Institute	Perkin Elmer		HST		500 km altitude, 35 degree inclination		equal to aperture (except for Schmidt which has aperture smaller than mirror diameter)		Corning ULE glass				0.05 arcseconds	2.4 m		Earth				2.1 meters				300 to 1000 nanometers	1990			3-axis-stabilized spacecraft								Hubble Space Telescope. A space-based reflecting telescope with a primary mirror diameter of 2.4 m (94 in) capable of high-resolution imaging from the far ultraviolet to the near infrared. A joint NASA/ESA mission. Launched in 1990 with a planned lifetime of 15 years. Encountered reduced performance when the mirror was found to have spherical aberration. Solved by the installation of corrective optics (COSTAR) in 1994.
Irénée du Pont Telescope		astroweb		observe celestial objects	29° 00' S	Fork equatorial telescope	f/3.0		1.45 degrees		Las Campanas, Chile	2282 m	Bruce H. Rule	Las Campanas Observatory	Donald A. Loomis	0.0924 mm/arcsec		ambient			equal to aperture (except for Schmidt which has aperture smaller than mirror diameter)	741 mm	fused-silica			19050 mm		2.54 m	9.042 mm			1013 mm					953 mm		1976	Carnegie Inst. of Washington	826 mm	equatorial fork	70° 42' W			3%	5153 mm	du Pont 100 inch	7620 mm			2540 mm
Isaac Newton Telescope		astroweb		observe celestial objects	28° 46' N	Polar-disk equatorial telescope	f/3, 15				La Palma, Canary Islands	2336 m	Grubb-Parsons	Obs. del Roque de Ins Muchachos	Grubb-Parsons			ambient			equal to aperture (except for Schmidt which has aperture smaller than mirror diameter)		material and other engineering details					2.5 m mirror								originally set up in England in 1967			1984	Royal Greenwich Observatory		equatorial with polar-disk	17° 53' W					Isaac Newton 98 inch
Keck		astroweb		observe celestial objects	in degrees, minutes, seconds (N or S)		f/1.75, 15, 25 IR				Mauna Kea, Hawaii, US	height above sea level in meters	TIW Systems	W.M. Keck Observatory	Itek, Tinsley			ambient			9.82 m		Zerodur	36				or primary mirror diameter							Ritchey-Chrétien	Uses 36 hexagonal mirror segments. Plans include using both Keck I and Keck II as an optical interferometer			1991	Univ. of California and Calif. Institute of Technology		altazimuth	in degrees, minutes, seconds (E or W)
Large Binocular Telescope		astroweb		observe celestial objects	32° 42' N	altazimuth telescope	f/1.14, 5.4, 15 (each)				Mount Graham, Arizona, US	3170 m	the person, company or institution that constructed the mounting	Columbus Project	R. Angel, B. Martin		LBT	ambient			equal to aperture (except for Schmidt which has aperture smaller than mirror diameter)		material and other engineering details					11.8 m								Twin 8.4-m reflectors; a project of Univ. of Arizona, Arcetri Astrophysical Obs., and Research Corp. (Tucson)			2004			altazimuth "two-shooter" with telescopes 14.4 m apart (center to center)	109° 51' W
Magellan Project		astroweb		observe celestial objects	29° 00' S	altazimuth telescope	f/1.25, 11, 15				Las Campanas, Chile	2300 m	L & F Industries	Las Campanes Observatory	R. Angel, B. Martin			ambient			equal to aperture (except for Schmidt which has aperture smaller than mirror diameter)		material and other engineering details					6.5 m			Cassegrain and Gregorian					a twin, Magellan II is to be built in 2001			(1999)	Carnegie Institution of Washington		altazimuth	70° 42' W					Magellan I
MMT Telescope		astroweb		observe celestial objects	31° 41' N	altazimuth telescope	f/1.25, 5.4, 9, 15				Mount Hopkins, Arizona, US	2608 m	de Bartolomeis	MMT Observatory	R. Angel, B. Martin			ambient			equal to aperture (except for Schmidt which has aperture smaller than mirror diameter)		Spin-cast borosilicate honey-comb					6.5 m											(1999)	Smithsonian Institution and Univ. of Arizona		altazimuth	110° 53' W
Mount Stromlo 2.3-meter		astroweb		observe celestial objects	31 ° 16' S	altazimuth telescope	f/2.09, 18				Siding Spring Mtn., Australia	1149 m	Australian National Univ., Newcastle Dockyard	Mt. Stromlo and Siding Spring Obs.	Norman Cole			ambient			equal to aperture (except for Schmidt which has aperture smaller than mirror diameter)		Cer-Vit					2.3 m											1984			altazimuth	149° 03' E
NASA Infrared Telescope Facility		astroweb		infrared work	19° 50' N	English equatorial telescope	f/2.5, 35, 120 IR				Mauna Kea, Hawaii, US	4208 m	de Bartolomeis	Mauna Kea Observatory	KPNO Optical Shop		NASA IRTF	ambient			equal to aperture (except for Schmidt which has aperture smaller than mirror diameter)		Cer-Vit					3.00 m											1979			English equatorial	155° 28' W
New Technology Telescope		astroweb		observe celestial objects	29° 16' S	altazimuth telescope	U2.2, 11				La Silla, Chile	2353 m	the person, company or institution that constructed the mounting	European Southern Observatory	Zeiss		NTT	ambient			equal to aperture (except for Schmidt which has aperture smaller than mirror diameter)		thin Zerodur					3.50 m								mirror figure controlled by 78 active supports			1989			altazimuth	70° 44' W
Nicholas U. Mayall Reflector		astroweb		observe celestial objects	31° 58' N	Horseshoe equatorial telescope	f/2.7, 8, 15.7 IR, 190				Kitt Peak, Arizona, US	2120 m	Western Gear Corp.	Kitt Peak National Observatory	KPNO Optical Shop			ambient			equal to aperture (except for Schmidt which has aperture smaller than mirror diameter)		Fused-quartz					3.81 m											1973			Horseshoe equatorial	111° 36' W					Kitt Peak 4 m
Nordic Optical Telescope		astroweb		observe celestial objects	28° 45' N	altazimuth telescope	(f/2.0), 11.0				La Palma, Canary Islands	2382 m	the person, company or institution that constructed the mounting	Obs. del Roque de Ins Muchachos	Optics Labs (Tartu)		NOT	ambient			equal to aperture (except for Schmidt which has aperture smaller than mirror diameter)		Zerodur					2.56 m											1989			altazimuth in rotating building	17° 53'W
optical space telescope		astroweb		observe celestial objects																										a more massive physical object					optical telescope			300 to 1000 nanometers
reflector with corrector plate		astroweb		observe celestial objects											the person, company or institution that created the mirror						equal to aperture (except for Schmidt which has aperture smaller than mirror diameter)		material and other engineering details					or primary mirror diameter							optical telescope
refractor		astroweb	the person, company or institution that created the lens	observe celestial objects																											visual refractor				optical telescope									doublet						A device for gathering and amplifying light by means of a lens.
Shajn 2.6-m Reflector		astroweb		observe celestial objects	44° 44' N	Fork equatorial telescope	f/3.8, 15.7, 16.4, 40				Nauchny, Ukraine	height above sea level in meters	the person, company or institution that constructed the mounting	Crimean Astrophysical Obs.	the person, company or institution that created the mirror			ambient			equal to aperture (except for Schmidt which has aperture smaller than mirror diameter)		material and other engineering details					2.64 m											1960			equatorial fork	34° 00' E					Crimean 102 inch
Sloan Digital Sky Survey Telescope		astroweb		observe celestial objects	32° 47' N	altazimuth telescope					Apache Point, New Mexico, US	2800 m	L & F Industries and University of Washington	Astrophys. Res. Consortium Obs.	the person, company or institution that created the mirror		SDSS	ambient			equal to aperture (except for Schmidt which has aperture smaller than mirror diameter)		material and other engineering details					2.5 m								To take CCD imagery of a quarter of sky in 5 colors (u, g, r, i, z) and measure redshifts of 1 million galaxies			(1998)			altazimuth	105° 49' W					Sloan 2.5 m
Southern African Large Telescope		astroweb		observe celestial objects	32° 23' S	altazimuth telescope	(f/1.4) f/4.7				Sutherland, South Africa	1798 m	the person, company or institution that constructed the mounting	South African Astronomical Obs.	the person, company or institution that created the mirror		SALT	ambient			equal to aperture (except for Schmidt which has aperture smaller than mirror diameter)		material and other engineering details					9.1 m			Spherical figure					A twin of the Hobby-Eberly Telescope			(2004)			altazimuth fixed in altitude but rotates in azimuth	20° 49'E
Subaru Telescope		astroweb		observe celestial objects	19° 49' N	altazimuth telescope	f/1.8, 12.5, 35				Mauna Kea, Hawaii, US	4215 m	Mitsubishi	National Astronomy Obs. (Japan)	the person, company or institution that created the mirror			ambient			equal to aperture (except for Schmidt which has aperture smaller than mirror diameter)		material and other engineering details					8.3 m								Thin primary (Coming ULE) under active control			(1999)			altazimuth	155° 28' W					Subaru
Telescopio Nazionale Galileo		astroweb		observe celestial objects	28° 45' N	altazimuth telescope	f/2.5, 6, 11				La Palma, Canary Islands	2370 m	the person, company or institution that constructed the mounting	Obs. del Roque de los Muchachos	Zeiss			ambient			equal to aperture (except for Schmidt which has aperture smaller than mirror diameter)		Zerodur					3.58 m											(1998)			altazimuth	17° 54'W					Galileo
UBC-Laval Telescope		astroweb		observe celestial objects	49° 07' N	fixed vertical mount telescope	f/1.887	views a 21' field at local zenith (centered on declination +49° 1)			Vancouver, BC, Canada	50 m	Univ. of British Col.	Univ. of B.C. and Laval Univ.	P Hickson		LMT	ambient			equal to aperture (except for Schmidt which has aperture smaller than mirror diameter)		rotating liquid mercury container					2.7 m			Paraboloid, field corr.								1992			fixed vertical	122° 35' W
United Kingdom Infrared Telescope		astroweb		infrared work only	19° 50' N	English equatorial telescope	f/2.5, 36 IR				Mauna Kea, Hawaii, US	4194 m	Hadfields Ltd. (Sheffield)	Joint Astronomy Centre	Grubb-Parsons		UKIRT	ambient			equal to aperture (except for Schmidt which has aperture smaller than mirror diameter)		Cer-Vit					3.802 m											1978			English-yoke equatorial	155° 28' W
Very Large Telescope		astroweb		observe celestial objects	24° 51' S	array telescope	f/13.5, 15 (each mirror)				Cerro Paranal, Chile	2640 m	the person, company or institution that constructed the mounting	European Southern Observatory	REOSC		VLT	ambient			equal to aperture (except for Schmidt which has aperture smaller than mirror diameter)		Schott Zerodur, active optics					16 m equivalent					4			Four separate telescopes and domes, first unit became operational in 1998			2001			altazimuth	70° 27' W								8.2 m
Victor M. Blanco Telescope		astroweb		observe celestial objects	30° 10' S	Horseshoe equatorial telescope	f/2.8, 8.0				Cerro Tololo, Chile	2215 m	Western Gear Corp.	Cerro Tololo Inter-American Obs.	KPNO Optical Shop			ambient			equal to aperture (except for Schmidt which has aperture smaller than mirror diameter)		Cer-Vit					4.001 m											1976			Horseshoe equatorial	70° 49' W					CTIO 4 meter
William Herschel Telescope		astroweb		observe celestial objects	28° 46' N	altazimuth telescope	02.5, 11				La Palma, Canary Islands	2332 m	Grubb-Parsons	Obs. del Roque de los Muchachos	Grubb-Parsons		WHT	ambient			equal to aperture (except for Schmidt which has aperture smaller than mirror diameter)		Owens-Illinois Cer-Vit					4.2 m											1987	Royal Greenwich Observatory		altazimuth	17° 53' W
Wisconsin-Indiana-Yale-NOAO Telescope		astroweb		observe celestial objects	31° 57' N	altazimuth telescope	(f/1.75) f/6.3				Kitt Peak, Arizona. US	2089 m	L & F Industries	WIYN Observatory	Charles Harmer/NOAO			ambient			equal to aperture (except for Schmidt which has aperture smaller than mirror diameter)		spin-cast borosilicate honey-comb					3.5 m								mirror by Steward Observatory Mirror Lab (R. Angel)			1994			altazimuth	111° 36' W					WIYN 3.5 m

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