View source for List of largest optical telescopes historically

{{Short description|World's largest telescopes}}
[[File:Queue at the Dunlap Observatory.jpg|thumb|People flock to the new [[David Dunlap Observatory]] in the 1930s, the second largest reflecting telescope in the world going by a mirror diameter of 74 inches (about 1.9 meters) at that time.]]
[[Telescopes]] have grown in size since they first appeared around 1608. The following tables list the increase in size over the years. Different technologies can and have been used to build telescopes, which are used to magnify distant views especially in astronomy.

== By overall aperture ==
The following is a list of largest single [[Telescope mount|mount]] [[optical telescope]]s sorted by total [[Objective (optics)|objective]] diameter (''aperture''), including [[Segmented mirror|segmented]] and multi-mirror configurations. It is a historical list, with the instruments listed in chronological succession by objective size. By itself, the diameter of the primary optics can be a poor measure of a telescope's historical or scientific significance; for example, [[William Parsons, 3rd Earl of Rosse]]'s [[Leviathan of Parsonstown|72-inch (1.8 m) reflecting telescope]] did not perform as well (i.e. [[Light-gathering power|gather as much light]]) as the smaller silvered glass mirror telescopes that succeeded it because of the poor performance of its [[speculum metal]] mirror.

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="margin: 1em auto 1em auto; width:90%; font-size:95%"
|+ Optical Telescopes (List by Overall Aperture)
|- style="text-align:center; background:#BBB;"
| rowspan="2" | Name || colspan="2" | [[Aperture]] || rowspan="2" | Type || rowspan="2" | Built by || rowspan="2" | Location || rowspan="2" | Year
|- style="text-align:center; background:#BBB;"
| width=65 | [[Meter]] || width=65 | [[Inch]]
|-
| [[Gran Telescopio Canarias]] (GTC) || 10.4 m ||  409" ||[[Reflecting telescope|Reflector]] – [[Segmented mirror|Segmented]], 36 || Spain (90%), [[Mexico]], USA || [[Roque de los Muchachos Observatory|ORM]], [[Canary Islands|La Palma, Canary Islands]], [[Spain]] || 2009
|-
| [[Keck telescope|Keck]] 1 || 10 m || 394" ||[[Reflecting telescope|Reflector]] – [[Segmented mirror|Segmented]], 36|| USA || [[Mauna Kea Observatory]], Hawaii, USA || 1993
|-
| [[BTA-6]] || 6 m || 238" ||[[Reflecting telescope|Reflector]]|| [[Soviet Union]] || [[Zelenchukskaya]], [[Caucasus]] || 1976
|-
| [[Hale Telescope]] || 5.08 m || 200" || [[Reflecting telescope|Reflector]] || USA || [[Palomar Observatory]], California, USA || 1948
|-
| [[Hooker Telescope]] || 2.54 m|| 100" || [[Reflecting telescope|Reflector]] || USA || [[Mt. Wilson Observatory]], California, USA || 1917
|-
|[[Leviathan of Parsonstown]] || 1.83 m || 72" || [[Reflecting telescope|Reflector]] – [[Speculum metal|metal mirror]] || [[William Parsons, 3rd Earl of Rosse|William Parsons]] || [[Birr Castle]], [[Ireland]] || 1845
|-
| Herschel's [[40-foot telescope]]<ref name="ssplprint">{{cite web | url=http://www.ssplprints.com/image.php?imgref=10408672 | title=Original mirror for William Herschel's 40 foot telescope, 1785 | publisher=Science & Society Picture Library | accessdate=22 November 2008}}</ref>  ||  1.26 m || 49.5" || [[Reflecting telescope|Reflector]] – [[Speculum metal|metal mirror]] || [[William Herschel]] ||  [[Observatory House]], England  || 1789–1815
|-
| [[John Michell]]'s Gregorian reflector<ref name="KAWwzHlDVksC page 91">{{cite book |author=King |first=Henry C. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KAWwzHlDVksC&pg=PA91 |title=The History of the Telescope |publisher=Courier Corporation |year=1955 |isbn=978-0-486-43265-6 |page=91}}</ref>|| 75&nbsp;cm  || 29.5" || [[Reflecting telescope|Reflector]] – [[Gregorian telescope|Gregorian]] || [[John Michell]] || [[Yorkshire]], Great Britain || 1780–1789
|-
| [[Father Noel]]'s Gregorian reflector<ref name="KAWwzHlDVksC page 91" /> || 60&nbsp;cm  || 23.5" || [[Reflecting telescope|Reflector]] – [[Gregorian telescope|Gregorian]] || [[Father Noel]] || [[Paris]], [[France]] || 1761
|-
| James Short's Gregorian reflector || 50&nbsp;cm  || 19.5" || [[Reflecting telescope|Reflector]] – [[Gregorian telescope|Gregorian]] || [[James Short (mathematician)|James Short]] || Great Britain || 1750
|-
| James Short's Gregorian reflector || 38&nbsp;cm  || 14" || [[Reflecting telescope|Reflector]] – [[Gregorian telescope|Gregorian]] || [[James Short (mathematician)|James Short]] || [[Scotland|Great Britain]] || 1734
|-
| Christiaan Huygens 210 foot refractor || 22&nbsp;cm  || 8.5" || [[Refractor]] – [[Aerial telescope]] || [[Christiaan Huygens]] || [[Netherlands]] || 1686
|-
| Christiaan Huygens 170 foot refractor || 20&nbsp;cm  || 8" || [[Refractor]] – [[Aerial telescope]] || [[Christiaan Huygens]] || [[Netherlands]] || 1686
|-
| Christiaan Huygens 210 foot refractor || 19&nbsp;cm  || 7.5" || [[Refractor]] – [[Aerial telescope]] || [[Christiaan Huygens]] || [[Netherlands]] || 1686
|-
| Hooke's reflector&thinsp;<ref name="KAWwzHlDVksC page 77">{{cite book |author=King |first=Henry C. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KAWwzHlDVksC&pg=PA77 |title=The History of the Telescope |publisher=Courier Corporation |year=1955 |isbn=978-0-486-43265-6 |page=77}}</ref>|| 18&nbsp;cm  || 7" || [[Reflecting telescope|Reflector]] || [[Robert Hooke]] || Great Britain || 16??
|-
| Hevelius refractor || 12&nbsp;cm  || 4.7" || [[Refractor]] || [[Johannes Hevelius]] || [[Gdańsk]], [[Poland]] || 1645
|-
| Hevelius Scheiner's helioscope || 6&nbsp;cm  || 2.3" || [[Refractor]] || [[Johannes Hevelius]] || [[Gdańsk]], [[Poland]] || 1638
|-
| Galileo's 1620 telescope<ref name="articles.adsabs.harvard.edu">Note: Diameter of cardboard objective stop {{cite journal |bibcode=2003JHA....34..369D |last=Dupré |first=S. |title=Galileo's telescope and celestial light SAO/NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS) |journal=Journal for the History of Astronomy |issn=0021-8286 |volume=34 |issue=Part 4, No. 117 |pages=369–399 |year=2003 |doi=10.1177/002182860303400402 |s2cid=118089506 }}</ref> || 3.8&nbsp;cm  || 1.5" || [[Refractor]] || [[Galileo Galilei]] || [[Italy]] || 1620
|-
| Galileo's 1612 telescope<ref name="articles.adsabs.harvard.edu" /> || 2.6&nbsp;cm  || 1" || [[Refractor]] || [[Galileo Galilei]] || [[Italy]] || 1612
|-
| Galileo's 1609 telescope<ref name="articles.adsabs.harvard.edu" /> || 1.5&nbsp;cm  || 0.62" || [[Refractor]] || [[Galileo Galilei]] || [[Italy]] || 1609
|-
| Hans Lippershey's telescope || ?&nbsp;cm  || .?" || [[Refractor]] || [[Hans Lippershey]] || [[Middelburg, Zeeland|Middelburg]], [[Netherlands]] || 1608
|}

== By historical significance ==
Chronological list of optical telescopes by historical significance, which reflects the overall technological progression and not only the primary mirror's diameter ''(as shown in [[#By_overall_aperture|table above]])''.

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="margin: 1em auto 1em auto; width:90%; font-size:95%"
|+ Optical Telescopes (List by Historical Significance)
|- style="text-align:center; background:#BBB;"
| rowspan="2" | Name || colspan="2" | [[Aperture]] || rowspan="2" | Type || rowspan="2" | Significance || rowspan="2" | Location || rowspan="2" | Year
|- style="text-align:center; background:#BBB;"
| [[Meter]] || [[Inch]]
|- style="background:#cfc;"
| [[Gran Telescopio Canarias]] (GTC) || 10.4 m ||  409" ||[[Reflecting telescope|Reflector]] – [[Segmented mirror|Segmented]], 36 ||World's largest 2009  || [[Roque de los Muchachos Observatory|ORM]], La Palma, [[Canary Islands]], Spain || 2009
|- style="background:#CEE0F2"
| [[Large Binocular Telescope]] (LBT) || 8.4&nbsp;m x ''2'' <br>(22.8 m LBTI)<ref>{{cite web |url=http://medusa.as.arizona.edu/lbto/firstbinocularlight_press_release.htm |title=LBT First Binocular Light Press Release |accessdate=2013-07-24 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110725231212/http://medusa.as.arizona.edu/lbto/firstbinocularlight_press_release.htm |archivedate=2011-07-25 }}</ref><br>   || 464.5" ||[[Reflecting telescope|glass mirror reflector]] – Multi-mirror (2)|| World's largest 2008 with Beam Combiner  || [[Mount Graham International Observatory]], [[Arizona]], USA ||2005
|- style="background:#cfc;"
| [[Hobby-Eberly Telescope]]  || 9.2 m || 362" ||[[Reflecting telescope|Reflector]] – [[Segmented mirror|Segmented]], 91|| First HET || [[McDonald Observatory]], USA ||     1997
|- style="background:#cfc;"
| [[Keck telescope|Keck]] 1 || 10 m || 394" ||[[Reflecting telescope|Reflector]] – [[Segmented mirror|Segmented]], 36|| World's largest 1993 || [[Mauna Kea Observatory]], Hawaii, USA || 1993
|- style="background:#CEE0F2"
|[[Hubble Space Telescope|Hubble]] (HST)  || 2.4 m || 94" || [[Reflecting telescope|glass mirror reflector]] || Largest Visible-light space based telescope  || [[Low Earth orbit]] [[NASA]]+ [[ESA]] ||  1990
|- style="background:#CEE0F2"
| [[BTA-6]] || 6 m || 238" ||[[Reflecting telescope|glass mirror reflector]] || World's largest 1976 || [[Zelenchukskaya]], [[Caucasus]] || 1976
|- style="background:#CEE0F2"
|[[McMath-Pierce Solar Telescope]] || 1.61 m || 63" || [[Reflecting telescope|glass mirror reflector]] || Largest solar telescope || [[Kitt Peak National Observatory|Kitt Peak National Obs.]], USA || 1962
|- style="background:#CEE0F2"
| [[Hale Telescope]] (200&nbsp;inch) || 5.08 m || 200" || [[Reflecting telescope|glass mirror reflector]] || World's largest 1948 || [[Palomar Observatory]], California, USA || 1948
|- style="background:#CEE0F2"
| [[Samuel Oschin telescope]]  || 1.22 m || 48" || [[Reflecting telescope|glass mirror reflector]] – [[Schmidt camera]] || World's largest Schmidt camera 1948 || [[Palomar Observatory]], California, USA || 1948
|- style="background:#CEE0F2"
| George Ritchey 40-inch (1 m)<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewpr.html?pid=17931|title = Naval Observatory Flagstaff Station Celebrates First Half Century| date=30 September 2005 }}</ref> || 102&nbsp;cm || 40" || [[Reflecting telescope|glass mirror reflector]] || First large [[Ritchey-Chrétien]] ||  [[United States Naval Observatory Flagstaff Station|Flagstaff]], Arizona, USA (Washington, D.C. until 1955)|| 1934
|- style="background:#CEE0F2"
| Plaskett telescope<ref>{{cite web |title=NRC-HIA: Public Outreach – DAO – 1.8 m Telescope |url=http://www.hia-iha.nrc-cnrc.gc.ca/public/18_e.html |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090209174956/http://hia-iha.nrc-cnrc.gc.ca/public/18_e.html |archivedate=2009-02-09 |accessdate=2010-01-10}}</ref>|| 1.83 m || 72" || [[Reflecting telescope|glass mirror reflector]] || Designed as world's largest but beaten by the [[100-inch Hooker telescope]] || [[Dominion Astrophysical Observatory]], Canada, USA || 1918
|- style="background:#CEE0F2"
| [[Hooker Telescope]] || 2.54 m|| 100" || [[Reflecting telescope|glass mirror reflector]] || World's largest 1917 || [[Mt. Wilson Observatory]], California, USA || 1917
|- style="background:#CEE0F2"
| [[Mount Wilson Observatory|Hale 60-Inch Telescope]] || 1.524 m|| 60" || [[Reflecting telescope|glass mirror reflector]] || The first of the "modern" large research reflectors, designed and located for precision imaging.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.mwoa.org/60-inch.html |title=mwoa.org – Observing with the 60-inch Telescope at Mount Wilson |access-date=2011-08-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110807070131/http://www.mwoa.org/60-inch.html |archive-date=2011-08-07 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>[http://www.mtwilson.edu/Simmons3.php mtwilson.edu-Building the 60-inch Telescope Article by Mike Simmons written in 1984 (and updated in 2008) for the Mount Wilson Observatory Association] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130805001558/http://www.mtwilson.edu/Simmons3.php |date=2013-08-05 }}</ref> || [[Mt. Wilson Observatory]], California, USA || 1908<!--|- style="background:#CEE0F2"
|  Zeiss 1m reflector  || 100 cm || 39.4″ || [[Reflecting telescope|glass mirror reflector]] ||  || [[Royal Observatory of Belgium|Royal Obs.]], [[Uccle]], Belgium || -->
|-
| [[Great Paris Exhibition Telescope of 1900]] || 125&nbsp;cm || 49.21" || [[refracting telescope|refractor]] – achromat ||  Largest refractor ever built, scrapped after Exhibition. || [[Exposition Universelle (1900)]], Paris, France || 1900–1901
|- style="background:#CEE0F2"
| [[Andrew Ainslie Common|A. A. Common]]'s 60-inch Ealing reflector<ref>[https://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9A0CE3DC143AE733A25755C0A9629C946497D6CF New York Times "NEW HARVARD TELESCOPE.; Sixty-Inch Reflector, Biggest in the World, Being Set Up. "April 6, 1905, Thursday Page 9]</ref>  || 1.524 m || 60" || [[Reflecting telescope|glass mirror reflector]] || World's largest glass mirror reflector 1889, sold to Harvard 1904, moved to South Africa 1920s ([[Boyden Observatory]]) where it was largest telescope in the southern hemisphere. || [[Ealing]], [[Harvard College Observatory]], Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA;[[Boyden Observatory]], South Africa || 1889
|-
| Yerkes Refractor || 102&nbsp;cm || 40" || [[refracting telescope|refractor]] – achromat || Largest operational refractor || [[Yerkes Observatory]], Wisconsin, USA || 1897
|- style="background:#CEE0F2"
| [[Andrew Ainslie Common#Work in astronomy|A. A. Common's 36 inch Ealing reflector]] || 91.4&nbsp;cm || 36" || [[Reflecting telescope|glass mirror reflector]] || First to prove fainter than naked eye [[astrophotography]];<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.ucolick.org/public/telescopes/crossley.html|title=Mt. Hamilton Telescopes: CrossleyTelescope}}</ref> sold, became [[Crossley telescope|Crossley Reflector]] || A. A. Common Reflector, Great Britain / [[Lick Observatory]], California, USA || 1879
|- style="background:#BFBFBF"
| [[Great Melbourne Telescope]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://stjarnhimlen.se/bigtel/LargestTelescope.html|title=Largest optical telescopes of the world}}</ref> || 1.22 m || 48" || [[Speculum metal|speculum metal mirror]] [[reflecting telescope|reflector]] || Last large reflector with a speculum metal mirror, world's largest equatorially mounted telescope for several decades.<ref>[http://www.sciencephoto.com/media/321404/view sciencephoto.com, Great Melbourne Telescope, Casting a telescope mirror, 1866]</ref> || [[Melbourne Observatory]], Melbourne, Australia || 1868–1889
|- style="background:#BFBFBF"
| William Lassell 48-inch<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.mikeoates.org/lassell/lassell_by_a_chapman.htm|title=William Lassell (1799-1880) and the discovery of Triton, 1846}}</ref>||  1.22 m ||  48" || [[Speculum metal|speculum metal mirror]] [[reflecting telescope|reflector]] ||  || [[Malta]] || 1861–1865
|- style="background:#BFBFBF"
|Rosse telescope: [[Leviathan of Parsonstown]] || 1.83 m || 72" || [[Speculum metal|metal]] – [[Speculum metal|speculum metal mirror]] [[reflecting telescope|reflector]] || World's largest 1845 || [[Birr Castle]], [[Ireland]] || 1845–1908
|- style="background:#BFBFBF"
| William Lassell 24-inch<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.mikeoates.org/lassell/telescope.htm|title = The Lassell Telescope}}</ref> || 61&nbsp;cm || 24" || [[Speculum metal|speculum metal mirror]] [[reflecting telescope|reflector]]  ||   || [[Liverpool]], England|| 1845
|-
| Great Dorpat Refractor (Fraunhofer) <br>[[Tartu Observatory|Dorpat/Tartu Observatory]] || 24&nbsp;cm || 9.6" || [[refracting telescope|refractor]] – achromat || "...the first modern, achromatic, refracting telescope."<ref>[http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1967AmJPh..35..344W ''Fraunhofer and the Great Dorpat Refractor'', Waaland, J. Robert, American Journal of Physics, Volume 35, Issue 4, pp. 344–350 (1967)]</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.obs.ee/obs/instrumendid/fr.htm|title = Fraunhoferi refraktor}}</ref> || [[Dorpat]], [[Governorate of Estonia]] || 1824
|- style="background:#BFBFBF"
| Rosse 36-inch Telescope || 91.4&nbsp;cm || 36" ||  [[Speculum metal|speculum metal mirror]] [[reflecting telescope|reflector]] ||   || [[Birr Castle]], [[Ireland]] ||1826
|- style="background:#BFBFBF"
| [[40-foot telescope|Herschel's 40-foot]] (126&nbsp;cm d.)<ref name="ssplprint"/>  ||  1.26 m || 49.5" || [[Speculum metal|speculum metal mirror]] [[reflecting telescope|reflector]]  || World's largest 1789 ||  [[Observatory House]], England  || 1789–1815
|- style="background:#BFBFBF"
| Herschel's 20-foot (47.5&nbsp;cm d.)<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.maa.clell.de/Messier/E/Xtra/Bios/wherschel.html|title = William Herschel (1738-1822)}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.nasm.si.edu/exhibitions/gal111/universe/etu_a_herschel.htm|title=Exhibitions}}</ref>|| 47.5&nbsp;cm || 18.5" || [[Speculum metal|speculum metal mirror]] [[reflecting telescope|reflector]]   ||   || [[Observatory House]], England|| 1782
|- style="background:#BFBFBF"
| Reverend John Michell's Gregorian reflector<ref name="KAWwzHlDVksC page 91"/> || 75&nbsp;cm  || 29.5" || [[Speculum metal|speculum metal mirror]] – [[Gregorian telescope|Gregorian reflector]] || World's largest 1780 || [[Yorkshire]], Great Britain || 1780–1789
|-
| [[Peter Dollond|Dollond]] Apochromatic Triplet<ref name="kingapo83">http://articles.adsabs.harvard.edu/full/gif/1948PA.....56...75K/0000083.000.html Title: The invention and early development of the achromatic telescope, Author: King, H. C., Journal: Popular Astronomy, Vol. 56, p. 75, Bibliographic Code: 1948PA.....56...75K, Page 83</ref>|| 9.53&nbsp;cm || 3.75" || [[Refracting telescope|Refractor]] – apochromat || First apochromatic triplet || England || 1763<ref name=kingapo83/>
|- style="background:#BFBFBF"
| Father Noel's Gregorian reflector<ref name="KAWwzHlDVksC page 91"/> || 60&nbsp;cm  || 23.5" || [[Speculum metal|speculum metal mirror]] – [[Gregorian telescope|Gregorian reflector]] || World's largest 1761 || Paris, France || 1761
|- style="background:#BFBFBF"
| James Short's Gregorian reflector || 50&nbsp;cm  || 19.5" || [[Speculum metal|speculum metal mirror]] – [[Gregorian telescope|Gregorian reflector]] || World's largest 1750 || [[Scotland|Great Britain]] || 1750
|- style="background:#BFBFBF"
| James Short's Gregorian reflector || 38&nbsp;cm  || 14" || [[Speculum metal|speculum metal mirror]] – [[Gregorian telescope|Gregorian reflector]] || World's largest 1734 || [[Scotland|Great Britain]] || 1734
|-
| [[Chester Moore Hall]]'s Doublet<ref name="stjarnhimlen.se">[http://www.stjarnhimlen.se/bigtel/LargestTelescope.html Paul Schlyter, ''Largest optical telescopes of the world'']</ref> || 6.4&nbsp;cm || 2.5" || [[Refracting telescope|Refractor]] – achromat || First achromatic doublet || Great Britain || 1733
|- style="background:#BFBFBF"
| Hadley's Reflector<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://amazing-space.stsci.edu/resources/explorations//groundup/lesson/scopes/hadley/index.php|title = Amazing Space}}</ref> || 15&nbsp;cm || 6" || [[Speculum metal|speculum metal mirror]] [[reflecting telescope|reflector]] || First parabolic newtonian || Great Britain || 1721
|-
| Christiaan Huygens 210 foot refractor || 22&nbsp;cm  || 8.5" || [[Refracting telescope|Refractor]] – [[Aerial telescope]] || World's largest 1686 || [[Netherlands]] || 1686
|-
| Christiaan Huygens 170 foot refractor || 20&nbsp;cm  || 8" || [[Refracting telescope|Refractor]] – [[Aerial telescope]] || World's largest 1689 || [[Netherlands]] || 1686
|-
| Christiaan Huygens 210 foot refractor || 19&nbsp;cm  || 7.5" || [[Refracting telescope|Refractor]] – [[Aerial telescope]] || World's largest 1686 || [[Netherlands]] || 1686
|- style="background:#BFBFBF"
| Hooke's reflector<ref name="KAWwzHlDVksC page 77"/> || 18&nbsp;cm  || 7" || [[Speculum metal|speculum metal mirror]] – [[Gregorian telescope|Gregorian reflector]] || First Gregorian|| Great Britain || 1674<ref>{{cite book |author=Lemaitre |first=Gérard René |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kQqlIsagKOQC&pg=PA17 |title=Astronomical Optics and Elasticity Theory: Active Optics Methods |publisher=Springer Science & Business Media |year=2008 |isbn=978-3-540-68905-8 |page=17}}</ref>
|- style="background:#BFBFBF"
| [[Newton's Reflector]]<ref name="books.google.com">{{cite book |author=Hall |first=A. Rupert |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7R8LsvMcUioC |title=Isaac Newton: Adventurer in Thought |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=1996 |isbn=978-0-521-56669-8 |page=67}}</ref>||3.3&nbsp;cm || 1.3" || [[Speculum metal|speculum metal mirror]] [[reflecting telescope|reflector]]  || First reflecting telescope || England (mobile) || 1668
|-
| Hevelius refractor || 12&nbsp;cm  || 4.7" || [[Refracting telescope|Refractor]] || World's largest 1645 || [[Gdańsk]] (Danzig), [[Poland]] || 1645
|-
| Hevelius Scheiner's helioscope || 6&nbsp;cm  || 2.3" || [[Refracting telescope|Refractor]] || World's largest 1638 & First [[Equatorial mount|Equatorial]]<ref name="stjarnhimlen.se"/> || [[Gdańsk]] (Danzig), [[Poland]] || 1638
|-
| Galileo's 1620 telescope || 3.8&nbsp;cm<ref name="articles.adsabs.harvard.edu"/>  || 1.5" || [[Refracting telescope|Refractor]] || World's largest 1620 || [[Italy]] || 1620
|-
| Galileo's 1612 telescope || 2.6&nbsp;cm<ref name="articles.adsabs.harvard.edu"/>  || 1" || [[Refracting telescope|Refractor]] || World's largest 1612 || [[Italy]] || 1612
|-
| Galileo's 1609 telescope || 1.5&nbsp;cm<ref name="articles.adsabs.harvard.edu"/>  || 0.62" || [[Refracting telescope|Refractor]] || World's largest 1609 || [[Italy]] || 1609
|-
| Hans Lippershey's telescope ||?&nbsp;cm  || .?" || [[Refracting telescope|Refractor]] || World's first recorded telescope || [[Netherlands]] || 1608
|}

{| style="padding: 6px 18px; border: 1px #aaa solid; margin: 0; margin: 1em auto 1em auto; background-color: #f9f9f9; font-size: 0.9em;"
|+ '''Legend'''
|-
| valign=top |
{{legend2|#CCFFCC|[[Reflector telescope|Segmented Mirror (Mosaic) Glass Reflector]]|border=1px solid #AAAAAA}}<br>{{legend2|#CEE0F2|[[Reflector telescope|Glass Reflector (Metal coating on glass mirror)]]|border=1px solid #AAAAAA}}<br>{{legend2|#BFBFBF|[[Reflector telescope|Reflector (Metal mirror)]]|border=1px solid #AAAAAA}}<br>{{legend2| |[[Refractor|Refractor (Lens) or other]]|border=1px solid #AAAAAA}}
|}

==See also==
{{columns-list|colwidth=30em|
* [[History of the telescope]]
* [[Lists of telescopes]]
* [[List of optical telescopes]]
* [[List of largest optical reflecting telescopes]]
* [[List of largest optical refracting telescopes]]
* [[List of largest optical telescopes in the 20th century]]
* [[List of largest optical telescopes in the 19th century]]
* [[List of largest optical telescopes in the 18th century]]
* [[List of space telescopes]]
* [[List of telescope types]]
* [[Microscope]] (For magnifying very small things)
}}
{{Clear}}

==References==
{{Reflist|2}}

==External links==
* [http://stjarnhimlen.se/bigtel/LargestTelescope.html Largest optical telescopes of the world]
* [http://abell.as.arizona.edu/~hill/list/bigtel99.htm List of large reflecting telescopes]
* [http://astro.nineplanets.org/bigeyes.html The World's Largest Optical Telescopes]
* [http://www.noao.edu/education/gsmt/intro Selected largest telescopes]
* [https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1086/380955 The Historical Growth of Telescope Aperture] (2003)

{{Portal bar|Astronomy|Stars|Spaceflight|Outer space|Solar System}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Largest optical telescopes historically}}
[[Category:Lists of telescopes]]
[[Category:Record progressions|Optical telescopes]]

[[it:Cronologia dei telescopi più grandi del mondo]]