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Instruments

Websites
Historical documents, galleries and information on maintaining and restoring old telescopes.
http://www1.tecs.com/oldscope/

Ancient astronomical computer.
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The Astrolabe  An instrument with a past and a future This page provides a very general overview of astrolabe principles. Links are provided to other pages with more details. The astrolabe in the picture was made by the French scientist and craftsman...
http://astrolabes.org/astrolab.htm

The telescopes at Mt. Wilson and Palomar.
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Caltech Astronomy History: 1908-1949  The following timeline covers the early history of Palomar Observatory, from its conception in the early 1900's, through the 200-inch's twenty-one years of construction until it began full-time observing in 1949. All images except the last one (1949) are copyrighted...
http://www.astro.caltech.edu/observatories/palomar/history/

The exquisite telescopes crafted by Alvan Clark and his sons helped make the last half of the 19th century a golden age of astronomy.
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Stars in Their Eyes  The exquisite telescopes crafted by Alvan Clark and his sons helped make the last half of the 19th century a golden age of astronomy Alvan Clark didn't know anything about telescopes when, in 1844, his son George made one out...
http://www.smithsonianmag.si.edu...n/issues01/oct01/refractors.html

Solar observatories built into 17th and 18th century cathedrals.
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"Universitas  Churches as scientific instruments by J. L. Heilbron Annual Invitation Lecture to the Scientific Instrument Society, Royal Institution, London, 6 December 1995 During the 17th and 18th centuries cathedrals in Bologna, Rome, Florence, and Paris served as centers of astronomical...
http://cis.alma.unibo.it/NewsLetter/090496Nw/Heilbron.htm

From the merket to the reflecting telescope in three pages.
http://seds.lpl.arizona.edu/billa/psc/hist1.html

The history of modern astronomical measurement, emphasis on instruments.
http://www.astro.virginia.edu/~afs5z/engines.html

Describes the modernization of the Greenwich Observatory. From the BBC History series.
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BBC History The Airy Transit Circle  Victorians brought order to everything scientific research included. Emily Winterburn introduces George Airy, Astronomer Royal and chief rulemaker at the Royal Observatory. George Airy holding a micrometer from the Airy Transit Circle, 1852  169; Page 1 of 6 1. Airy's...
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/dis...revolutions/airy_george_01.shtml

Exhibition from the Royal Observatory, Greenwich, that explains the history of this telescope via words and archive photographs.
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Online features What's on National Maritime Museum  Lottery was ten years old on 6 November 2004 and so we have chosen this moment to bring together each of the items and projects that owe their existence at Greenwich to the National Lottery. Severndroog Castle, Shooters Hill, London...
http://www.nmm.ac.uk/server.php?...oc&contentId=354&navId=005001004

An overview with photographs of many lesser known telescopes typical of their time.
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Antique Telescopes, spyglasses, telescope history.  Topics on this site include: A history of the telescope, antique telescopes, historical telescopes, antique scientific instruments, reflector telescope, refractor telescope, spyglass, pirate telescope, telescope history, history of astronomy, astronomy before the telescope. Topics to be added shortly: History of...
http://www.antiquetelescopes.org/

Collection of instruments, past exhibitions, history department information.
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Adler Historical Collections  Planetarium has made public a basic collections database, for queries from the Web. The interface is not final. You get a search field, and a button which will search the database fields for instrument name, maker, instrument description, and accession...
http://www.adlerplanetarium.org/history/

Radio telescopes of large resolving power.
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Martin Ryle Nobel Lecture  In order to read the text you need Acrobat Reader. The Nobel Prize in Physics 1974 Press Release Presentation Speech Martin Ryle Autobiography Nobel Lecture Swedish Nobel Stamps Antony Hewish Autobiography Nobel Lecture Banquet Speech Swedish Nobel Stamps Other Resources...
http://nobelprize.org/physics/laureates/1974/ryle-lecture.html