American refracting telescope, with accessories and tripod

Made:
1870-1880 in Cambridge
Refracting telescope of 4-inch aperture by Alvan Clark and Sons Refracting telescope of 4-inch aperture by Alvan Clark and Sons

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Refracting telescope of 4-inch aperture by Alvan Clark and Sons
Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

Refracting telescope of 4-inch aperture by Alvan Clark and Sons
Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

Refracting telescope of 4 1/8-inch aperture by Alvan Clark and Sons, Cambridge, Massachusetts, mahogany tube with finder telescope, brass on iron equatorial mounting and wooden tripod plus accessories.

Dated to 1870--80, this telescope was made by the American instrument maker Alvan Clark of Cambridge, Massachusetts near Boston. The telescope has a 4-inch aperture lens and a tapering mahogany tube. To aid the location of objects under study, the telescope is provided with a smaller finder telescope. It is carried on the earliest surviving example of an equatorial mounting made by this telescope maker. Prior to the emergence of Alvan Clarke, most telescopes sold in America were imported from Europe. Later in the nineteenth century, the Clarke Company produced most of the world's largest optics for refracting telescopes. The largest they made being a 40-inch lens supplied to the Yerkes Observatory in Wisconsin in 1895.

Details

Category:
Astronomy
Object Number:
1988-268
Materials:
metal and mahogany
type:
telescope - refracting
credit:
Tesseract

Parts

Refracting telescope and tripod

Refracting telescope and tripod

Refracting telescope with clear aperture of 4 1/8-inch by Alvan Clark and Sons, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, mahogany tube with finder telescope, brass tube on iron equatorial mounting and wooden tripod

Object Number:
1988-268 Pt1
type:
instrument component and telescope - refracting
Accessories for Alvan Clark telescope

Accessories for Alvan Clark telescope

Selection of accessories consisting of 4 eyepieces, 2 filters, 1 star diagonal and 1 spare draw tube for refracting telescope of 4 1/8-inch aperture by Alvan Clark and Sons, Cambridge, Massachusetts, mahogany tube with finder telescope, brass tube on iron equatorial mounting and wooden tripod

Materials:
glass and metal (unknown)
Object Number:
1988-268 Pt2
type:
instrument component and eyepieces (astronomical)