Section of a common telescope

Contemporary wooden model of the Earl of Rosse's reflecting telescope with a three foot diameter speculum, showing the method of mounting it, made at Birr Castle, Ireland, c. 1840

Reflecting telescope with brass barrel with blackened shagreen cover, in a fitted rosewood box, by Edward Scarlett, London, c. 1730

Six draw vellum-covered refracting telescope, unsigned, English, late 17th century

Five draw vellum-covered refracting telescope, unsigned, English, c. 1720

5" refracting astronomical telescope with bronzed iron and brass stand and glass eyepiece and lens, by James Parkes and Son, Birmingham, Warwickshire, England, c. 1870

3 1/2" aperture Gregorian reflecting telescope with brass barrel and shagreen cover, unsigned and undated, but probably by Edward Scarlett, London, 1725 - 1750

Telescope objective lens made by James Buckingham of London, 1862, assisted by William Wray

Astronomical telescope attributed to William Herschel, with stand, and a printed copy of Professor Wilson's paper to the Royal Society of London in 1773

Telescope micrometer of brass with steel and ivory, for measuring small angular distances between stars, probably made by Thomas Heath of London, 1736

Schmidt telescope by Cox, Hargreaves and Thomson, England, 1951, on base by Grubb Parsons, Newcastle, 1930 from west tower of the Royal Observatory, Edinburgh

Telescope detector or telescope camera, Submillimeter Common-User Bolometer Array (SCUBA-1), used on James Clerk Maxwell telescope, Hawaii, retired 2005, by Royal Observatory Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scotland, 1995