Herschel’s 20 ft Telescope 20 ft  (609.6 cm)

Index:

Summary; History; Current; Technical; Sources; Links; Gallery:

In brief

Important  Contributions:

Description:
John Herschel brought this instrument with him when he came to live temporarily in Cape Town. (It was the same instrument that his father had built and used for the Northern Hemisphere survey.) [Smits]

Historical Background

Owner:
Sir  John Herschel 1834

Where Located:
Feldhausen (modern day Wynberg, Cape Town)

Current Information

Present  Location:

Owner:

Status:

Condition:

Technical  Details

Type: Focus Reflector
Aperture:
Focal Length: 20 ft (609.6 cm)
Mirror / Lens:
Mounting:
Attachments:
Manufacturer: Herschel

Sources

Link to the Main Bibliography Section and more information about Sources.

Documentation:

Pictorial Sources:

• Moore, P. & Collins, P., Astronomy in Southern Africa, p. 57. (General  Source)

Bibliography:

• Moore,  P. & Collins, P., Astronomy in Southern Africa, p. 15., p.  51. (General Source)
• Smits, P., A Brief History of Astronomy in Southern Africa. (Unpublished)

Links

Gallery

Camera Lucida sketch of Herschel’s 20 ft. telescope in situ at Feldhausen, 1834.
Courtesy of Africana Museum. (Source: Moore; Evans)

20 foot telescope at Feldhausen.
Source: Warner, Maclear

The 20 feet camera in the process of dismanteling, Febr. 1838.
Source: Warne – Lady Herschel.