The Collections

This is a double refracting wooden telescope on an equatorial mounting. The maker, Abraham Sharp, is significant to the Observatory in that he worked as assistant astronomer and instrument maker to the Observatory's first Astronomer Royal, John Flamsteed between 1676…

This telescope was constructed by George Graham in 1727 for Bradley's personal use in studying the parallax of the star Gamma Draconis. When he was appointed third Astronomer Royal in 1742, Bradley only agreed to bring this instrument to Greenwich…

This 5-foot (153 cm) telescope is the earliest at the Observatory that can definitely be associated with its history. Instruments of this sort were a relatively recent invention and Halley's was possibly the first made in England. Lighter and less…

This transit instrument was commissioned by Astronomer Royal James Bradley in 1749 and remained in use until 1816. It was erected a little to the east of Halley's earlier meridian instruments marking out a new north-south line (or meridian) referred…

In July 1816, Edward Troughton's 10-foot transit instrument replaced Bradley's earlier one, and reconfirmed Bradley's meridian as the Prime Meridian for the Observatory until December 1850. The telescope itself was regularly calibrated by taking sightings off a number of distant…

This 6-foot mural circle was first installed at the Observatory in 1812. Full circle measuring instruments became possible and popular after the development of the dividing engine towards the end of the 18th century. Maskelyne, the astronomer royal at the…

This 2.87m (9.5ft) zenith tube or zenith micrometer was commissioned by the Astronomer Royal John Pond and built by Edward Troughton in 1812. It was built to work alongside the mural circle (AST0973) after the circle was criticised by members…

Constructing Airy's huge transit circle was a major undertaking. The engineering was carried out by Ransomes & May of Ipswich and Troughton & Sims constructed both the optical parts (including the 206 mm object lens) and the main body, but…

This is the remaining 10ft of the speculum end of William Herschel's 40ft Herschelian (reflector) telescope tube. The remaining tube is made of iron and painted grey. For 50 years, this telescope was the largest in the world. King George…

Twice in its history, observations with the twenty-eight-inch refractor have been disturbed. The first time was during the First World War. Then, in 1939, the valuable object glass was sent to a place of safety during the Second World War.…

This is a double banked telescope on a German equatorial mounting. This 6 1/2 inch refractor was given to the Observatory in 1947 by A. M. Newbegin (along with a 22ft dome) and mounted and used with a Dallmeyer photoheliograph…

This is a photoheliograph, a type of telescope made for photographing the Sun. This example was originally commissioned in 1871 as one of five photoheliographs ordered from the maker Thomas Rudolphus Dallmeyer, son of John Henry Dallmeyer, for the British…

These are the unfinished remains of a 5ft wall or mural quadrant made by Flamsteed's instrument maker, Abraham Sharp. Though never used or intended for use at Greenwich this is one of the few surviving examples of the work of…