Category of Astronomical Heritage: tangible immovable
Lord Rosse's Leviathan of Parsonstown, Birr Castle, Irland
Format: IAU - Outstanding Astronomical Heritage Description
Description
Geographical position
Lord Rosse’s Leviathan of Parsonstown, Birr Castle, Birr, County Offaly, Leinster, Irland
Location
Latitude 53°05′48″ N, Longitude 7°55′03″ WCoordinates: 53°05′48″N 7°55′03″W , Elevation ...m above mean sea level.
IAU observatory code
-
Description of (scientific/cultural/natural) heritage
Fig. 1. Lord Rosse’s Large Reflecting Telescope, at Parsonstown, Birr Castle (Wikipedia)
Fig. 2. William Parsons, 3rd Earl of Rosse (1800--1867) (Steinicke)
William Parsons, 3rd Earl of Rosse (1800--1867), was very skilful in casting, grinding and polishing his large telescope mirrors from speculum metal. He even constructed steam-powered grinding machines for parabolic mirrors.
Fig. 3. Lord Rosse’s 3 foot (91-cm) mirror of 1839/40 (focal length 7.9m) (Steinicke)
He started in 1839 with a 3 foot (91-cm) mirror of focal length 7.9m. He first casted smaller pieces and put them together before grinding.
His succeeded in 1840 to cast the mirror in one piece.
For his 6-foot-Leviathan he made six casts in the years 1842 to 1845 and had finally two useable mirrors. He could observe with one mirror while he repolished the other one.
In 1845 also the altazimuth mounting was ready for the mirror which weighed about 3 tons.
Fig. 4. Lord Rosse’s Leviathan (1885), with Lawrence Parsons, 4th Earl of Rosse (1840--1908) (Wikipedia)
The Leviathan, a 6 foot reflecting telescope (Newtonian telescope) of 183-cm aperture (72-inch), focal length 16.5m, was the largest telescope in the world from 1845 until the construction of the 100-inch (2.5-m) Hooker Telescope, Mt. Wilson, California, in 1917.
Nebular research was considerably advanced by William Parsons, third Earl of Rosse (1800--1867), who was interested in the structure of nebulae. He was a keen observer; with his metal reflecting telescopes (Newton) in Birr Castle near Parsonstown, Ireland, he had the best equipment of his time. With it, he recognised the spiral structure of M 51 and many other nebulae from 1845 onwards -- with the help of his assistants.
Fig. 5a. Spiral structure of M51, later known as the Whirlpool Galaxy, Drawing by 3rd Earl of Rosse in 1845, based on observations using the Leviathan (Wikipedia)
Fig. 5b. M 51 in the Canes Venatici, photographed by Isaac Roberts (1829--1904) in 1889 with the 51cm mirror - exposure of 3.5 hours
The photograph of M 51 in the Canes Venatici (Hunting Dogs) by Isaac Roberts (1829--1904) in 1889 with the 51cm mirror shows a remarkable similarity to Lord Rosse’s visual observation.
With the largest telescope in the world at the time, he found that many of these "spiral nebulae" were resolvable into stars, but Lord Rosse still considered the "spiral nebulae" to be star clusters in our Milky Way and not extragalactic objects. In the spirals or vortices he saw centres of the formation of new stars by condensation. This seemed to confirm Laplace’s theory. Even at the turn of the century, the Chamberlin-Moulton hypothesis (Brush 1978) stated that spiral nebulae evolve into solar systems.
History
Fig. 6. Six-foot telescope, three-foot telescope, and Birr castle (Painting by Henrietta Crompton, Wikipedia)
Instruments
- 3 foot (91-cm) mirror (1839/40), focal length 7.9m
- 6 foot (183-cm, 72-inch) reflecting telescope (1845), focal length 16.5m
Fig. 7. Rosse’s six-foot-telescope-mirror (Science Museum London, Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0, Geni)
State of preservation
Fig. 8. Leviathan, Birr Castle (Wikipedia, Albert White)
The Large Telescope of Lord Rosse is well reconstructed.
The original mirror is preserved in the Science Museum London.
Comparison with related/similar sites
There existed two other large reflecting telescopes in Endland and Scotland ....
Threats or potential threats
no threats
Present use
Fig. 9. Reconstructed Leviathan, Birr Castle (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, Tpower)
The reconstructed Leviathan in Birr Castle is used as a public observatory.
Astronomical relevance today
Lord Rosse’s Leviathan of Parsonstown, Birr Castle, Birr, County Offaly, Leinster, Irland
Location
Latitude 53°05′48″ N, Longitude 7°55′03″ WCoordinates: 53°05′48″N 7°55′03″W , Elevation ...m above mean sea level.
IAU observatory code
-
Description of (scientific/cultural/natural) heritage
Fig. 1. Lord Rosse’s Large Reflecting Telescope, at Parsonstown, Birr Castle (Wikipedia)
Fig. 2. William Parsons, 3rd Earl of Rosse (1800--1867) (Steinicke)
William Parsons, 3rd Earl of Rosse (1800--1867), was very skilful in casting, grinding and polishing his large telescope mirrors from speculum metal. He even constructed steam-powered grinding machines for parabolic mirrors.
Fig. 3. Lord Rosse’s 3 foot (91-cm) mirror of 1839/40 (focal length 7.9m) (Steinicke)
He started in 1839 with a 3 foot (91-cm) mirror of focal length 7.9m. He first casted smaller pieces and put them together before grinding.
His succeeded in 1840 to cast the mirror in one piece.
For his 6-foot-Leviathan he made six casts in the years 1842 to 1845 and had finally two useable mirrors. He could observe with one mirror while he repolished the other one.
In 1845 also the altazimuth mounting was ready for the mirror which weighed about 3 tons.
Fig. 4. Lord Rosse’s Leviathan (1885), with Lawrence Parsons, 4th Earl of Rosse (1840--1908) (Wikipedia)
The Leviathan, a 6 foot reflecting telescope (Newtonian telescope) of 183-cm aperture (72-inch), focal length 16.5m, was the largest telescope in the world from 1845 until the construction of the 100-inch (2.5-m) Hooker Telescope, Mt. Wilson, California, in 1917.
Nebular research was considerably advanced by William Parsons, third Earl of Rosse (1800--1867), who was interested in the structure of nebulae. He was a keen observer; with his metal reflecting telescopes (Newton) in Birr Castle near Parsonstown, Ireland, he had the best equipment of his time. With it, he recognised the spiral structure of M 51 and many other nebulae from 1845 onwards -- with the help of his assistants.
Fig. 5a. Spiral structure of M51, later known as the Whirlpool Galaxy, Drawing by 3rd Earl of Rosse in 1845, based on observations using the Leviathan (Wikipedia)
Fig. 5b. M 51 in the Canes Venatici, photographed by Isaac Roberts (1829--1904) in 1889 with the 51cm mirror - exposure of 3.5 hours
The photograph of M 51 in the Canes Venatici (Hunting Dogs) by Isaac Roberts (1829--1904) in 1889 with the 51cm mirror shows a remarkable similarity to Lord Rosse’s visual observation.
With the largest telescope in the world at the time, he found that many of these "spiral nebulae" were resolvable into stars, but Lord Rosse still considered the "spiral nebulae" to be star clusters in our Milky Way and not extragalactic objects. In the spirals or vortices he saw centres of the formation of new stars by condensation. This seemed to confirm Laplace’s theory. Even at the turn of the century, the Chamberlin-Moulton hypothesis (Brush 1978) stated that spiral nebulae evolve into solar systems.
History
Fig. 6. Six-foot telescope, three-foot telescope, and Birr castle (Painting by Henrietta Crompton, Wikipedia)
Instruments
- 3 foot (91-cm) mirror (1839/40), focal length 7.9m
- 6 foot (183-cm, 72-inch) reflecting telescope (1845), focal length 16.5m
Fig. 7. Rosse’s six-foot-telescope-mirror (Science Museum London, Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0, Geni)
State of preservation
Fig. 8. Leviathan, Birr Castle (Wikipedia, Albert White)
The Large Telescope of Lord Rosse is well reconstructed.
The original mirror is preserved in the Science Museum London.
Comparison with related/similar sites
There existed two other large reflecting telescopes in Endland and Scotland ....
Threats or potential threats
no threats
Present use
Fig. 9. Reconstructed Leviathan, Birr Castle (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, Tpower)
The reconstructed Leviathan in Birr Castle is used as a public observatory.
Astronomical relevance today
Latitude 53°05′48″ N, Longitude 7°55′03″ WCoordinates: 53°05′48″N 7°55′03″W , Elevation ...m above mean sea level.
IAU observatory code
-
Description of (scientific/cultural/natural) heritage
Fig. 1. Lord Rosse’s Large Reflecting Telescope, at Parsonstown, Birr Castle (Wikipedia)
Fig. 2. William Parsons, 3rd Earl of Rosse (1800--1867) (Steinicke)
William Parsons, 3rd Earl of Rosse (1800--1867), was very skilful in casting, grinding and polishing his large telescope mirrors from speculum metal. He even constructed steam-powered grinding machines for parabolic mirrors.
Fig. 3. Lord Rosse’s 3 foot (91-cm) mirror of 1839/40 (focal length 7.9m) (Steinicke)
He started in 1839 with a 3 foot (91-cm) mirror of focal length 7.9m. He first casted smaller pieces and put them together before grinding.
His succeeded in 1840 to cast the mirror in one piece.
For his 6-foot-Leviathan he made six casts in the years 1842 to 1845 and had finally two useable mirrors. He could observe with one mirror while he repolished the other one.
In 1845 also the altazimuth mounting was ready for the mirror which weighed about 3 tons.
Fig. 4. Lord Rosse’s Leviathan (1885), with Lawrence Parsons, 4th Earl of Rosse (1840--1908) (Wikipedia)
The Leviathan, a 6 foot reflecting telescope (Newtonian telescope) of 183-cm aperture (72-inch), focal length 16.5m, was the largest telescope in the world from 1845 until the construction of the 100-inch (2.5-m) Hooker Telescope, Mt. Wilson, California, in 1917.
Nebular research was considerably advanced by William Parsons, third Earl of Rosse (1800--1867), who was interested in the structure of nebulae. He was a keen observer; with his metal reflecting telescopes (Newton) in Birr Castle near Parsonstown, Ireland, he had the best equipment of his time. With it, he recognised the spiral structure of M 51 and many other nebulae from 1845 onwards -- with the help of his assistants.
Fig. 5a. Spiral structure of M51, later known as the Whirlpool Galaxy, Drawing by 3rd Earl of Rosse in 1845, based on observations using the Leviathan (Wikipedia)
Fig. 5b. M 51 in the Canes Venatici, photographed by Isaac Roberts (1829--1904) in 1889 with the 51cm mirror - exposure of 3.5 hours
The photograph of M 51 in the Canes Venatici (Hunting Dogs) by Isaac Roberts (1829--1904) in 1889 with the 51cm mirror shows a remarkable similarity to Lord Rosse’s visual observation.
With the largest telescope in the world at the time, he found that many of these "spiral nebulae" were resolvable into stars, but Lord Rosse still considered the "spiral nebulae" to be star clusters in our Milky Way and not extragalactic objects. In the spirals or vortices he saw centres of the formation of new stars by condensation. This seemed to confirm Laplace’s theory. Even at the turn of the century, the Chamberlin-Moulton hypothesis (Brush 1978) stated that spiral nebulae evolve into solar systems.
History
Fig. 6. Six-foot telescope, three-foot telescope, and Birr castle (Painting by Henrietta Crompton, Wikipedia)
Instruments
- 3 foot (91-cm) mirror (1839/40), focal length 7.9m
- 6 foot (183-cm, 72-inch) reflecting telescope (1845), focal length 16.5m
Fig. 7. Rosse’s six-foot-telescope-mirror (Science Museum London, Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0, Geni)
State of preservation
Fig. 8. Leviathan, Birr Castle (Wikipedia, Albert White)
The Large Telescope of Lord Rosse is well reconstructed.
The original mirror is preserved in the Science Museum London.
Comparison with related/similar sites
There existed two other large reflecting telescopes in Endland and Scotland ....
Threats or potential threats
no threats
Present use
Fig. 9. Reconstructed Leviathan, Birr Castle (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, Tpower)
The reconstructed Leviathan in Birr Castle is used as a public observatory.
Astronomical relevance today
-
Description of (scientific/cultural/natural) heritage
Fig. 1. Lord Rosse’s Large Reflecting Telescope, at Parsonstown, Birr Castle (Wikipedia)
Fig. 2. William Parsons, 3rd Earl of Rosse (1800--1867) (Steinicke)
William Parsons, 3rd Earl of Rosse (1800--1867), was very skilful in casting, grinding and polishing his large telescope mirrors from speculum metal. He even constructed steam-powered grinding machines for parabolic mirrors.
Fig. 3. Lord Rosse’s 3 foot (91-cm) mirror of 1839/40 (focal length 7.9m) (Steinicke)
He started in 1839 with a 3 foot (91-cm) mirror of focal length 7.9m. He first casted smaller pieces and put them together before grinding.
His succeeded in 1840 to cast the mirror in one piece.
For his 6-foot-Leviathan he made six casts in the years 1842 to 1845 and had finally two useable mirrors. He could observe with one mirror while he repolished the other one.
In 1845 also the altazimuth mounting was ready for the mirror which weighed about 3 tons.
Fig. 4. Lord Rosse’s Leviathan (1885), with Lawrence Parsons, 4th Earl of Rosse (1840--1908) (Wikipedia)
The Leviathan, a 6 foot reflecting telescope (Newtonian telescope) of 183-cm aperture (72-inch), focal length 16.5m, was the largest telescope in the world from 1845 until the construction of the 100-inch (2.5-m) Hooker Telescope, Mt. Wilson, California, in 1917.
Nebular research was considerably advanced by William Parsons, third Earl of Rosse (1800--1867), who was interested in the structure of nebulae. He was a keen observer; with his metal reflecting telescopes (Newton) in Birr Castle near Parsonstown, Ireland, he had the best equipment of his time. With it, he recognised the spiral structure of M 51 and many other nebulae from 1845 onwards -- with the help of his assistants.
Fig. 5a. Spiral structure of M51, later known as the Whirlpool Galaxy, Drawing by 3rd Earl of Rosse in 1845, based on observations using the Leviathan (Wikipedia)
Fig. 5b. M 51 in the Canes Venatici, photographed by Isaac Roberts (1829--1904) in 1889 with the 51cm mirror - exposure of 3.5 hours
The photograph of M 51 in the Canes Venatici (Hunting Dogs) by Isaac Roberts (1829--1904) in 1889 with the 51cm mirror shows a remarkable similarity to Lord Rosse’s visual observation.
With the largest telescope in the world at the time, he found that many of these "spiral nebulae" were resolvable into stars, but Lord Rosse still considered the "spiral nebulae" to be star clusters in our Milky Way and not extragalactic objects. In the spirals or vortices he saw centres of the formation of new stars by condensation. This seemed to confirm Laplace’s theory. Even at the turn of the century, the Chamberlin-Moulton hypothesis (Brush 1978) stated that spiral nebulae evolve into solar systems.
History
Fig. 6. Six-foot telescope, three-foot telescope, and Birr castle (Painting by Henrietta Crompton, Wikipedia)
Instruments
- 3 foot (91-cm) mirror (1839/40), focal length 7.9m
- 6 foot (183-cm, 72-inch) reflecting telescope (1845), focal length 16.5m
Fig. 7. Rosse’s six-foot-telescope-mirror (Science Museum London, Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0, Geni)
State of preservation
Fig. 8. Leviathan, Birr Castle (Wikipedia, Albert White)
The Large Telescope of Lord Rosse is well reconstructed.
The original mirror is preserved in the Science Museum London.
Comparison with related/similar sites
There existed two other large reflecting telescopes in Endland and Scotland ....
Threats or potential threats
no threats
Present use
Fig. 9. Reconstructed Leviathan, Birr Castle (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, Tpower)
The reconstructed Leviathan in Birr Castle is used as a public observatory.
Astronomical relevance today
Fig. 1. Lord Rosse’s Large Reflecting Telescope, at Parsonstown, Birr Castle (Wikipedia)
Fig. 2. William Parsons, 3rd Earl of Rosse (1800--1867) (Steinicke)
William Parsons, 3rd Earl of Rosse (1800--1867), was very skilful in casting, grinding and polishing his large telescope mirrors from speculum metal. He even constructed steam-powered grinding machines for parabolic mirrors.
Fig. 3. Lord Rosse’s 3 foot (91-cm) mirror of 1839/40 (focal length 7.9m) (Steinicke)
He started in 1839 with a 3 foot (91-cm) mirror of focal length 7.9m. He first casted smaller pieces and put them together before grinding.
His succeeded in 1840 to cast the mirror in one piece.
For his 6-foot-Leviathan he made six casts in the years 1842 to 1845 and had finally two useable mirrors. He could observe with one mirror while he repolished the other one.
In 1845 also the altazimuth mounting was ready for the mirror which weighed about 3 tons.
Fig. 4. Lord Rosse’s Leviathan (1885), with Lawrence Parsons, 4th Earl of Rosse (1840--1908) (Wikipedia)
The Leviathan, a 6 foot reflecting telescope (Newtonian telescope) of 183-cm aperture (72-inch), focal length 16.5m, was the largest telescope in the world from 1845 until the construction of the 100-inch (2.5-m) Hooker Telescope, Mt. Wilson, California, in 1917.
Nebular research was considerably advanced by William Parsons, third Earl of Rosse (1800--1867), who was interested in the structure of nebulae. He was a keen observer; with his metal reflecting telescopes (Newton) in Birr Castle near Parsonstown, Ireland, he had the best equipment of his time. With it, he recognised the spiral structure of M 51 and many other nebulae from 1845 onwards -- with the help of his assistants.
Fig. 5a. Spiral structure of M51, later known as the Whirlpool Galaxy, Drawing by 3rd Earl of Rosse in 1845, based on observations using the Leviathan (Wikipedia)
Fig. 5b. M 51 in the Canes Venatici, photographed by Isaac Roberts (1829--1904) in 1889 with the 51cm mirror - exposure of 3.5 hours
The photograph of M 51 in the Canes Venatici (Hunting Dogs) by Isaac Roberts (1829--1904) in 1889 with the 51cm mirror shows a remarkable similarity to Lord Rosse’s visual observation.
With the largest telescope in the world at the time, he found that many of these "spiral nebulae" were resolvable into stars, but Lord Rosse still considered the "spiral nebulae" to be star clusters in our Milky Way and not extragalactic objects. In the spirals or vortices he saw centres of the formation of new stars by condensation. This seemed to confirm Laplace’s theory. Even at the turn of the century, the Chamberlin-Moulton hypothesis (Brush 1978) stated that spiral nebulae evolve into solar systems.
History
Fig. 6. Six-foot telescope, three-foot telescope, and Birr castle (Painting by Henrietta Crompton, Wikipedia)
Instruments
- 3 foot (91-cm) mirror (1839/40), focal length 7.9m
- 6 foot (183-cm, 72-inch) reflecting telescope (1845), focal length 16.5m
Fig. 7. Rosse’s six-foot-telescope-mirror (Science Museum London, Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0, Geni)
State of preservation
Fig. 8. Leviathan, Birr Castle (Wikipedia, Albert White)
The Large Telescope of Lord Rosse is well reconstructed.
The original mirror is preserved in the Science Museum London.
Comparison with related/similar sites
There existed two other large reflecting telescopes in Endland and Scotland ....
Threats or potential threats
no threats
Present use
Fig. 9. Reconstructed Leviathan, Birr Castle (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, Tpower)
The reconstructed Leviathan in Birr Castle is used as a public observatory.
Astronomical relevance today
Fig. 6. Six-foot telescope, three-foot telescope, and Birr castle (Painting by Henrietta Crompton, Wikipedia)
Instruments
- 3 foot (91-cm) mirror (1839/40), focal length 7.9m
- 6 foot (183-cm, 72-inch) reflecting telescope (1845), focal length 16.5m
Fig. 7. Rosse’s six-foot-telescope-mirror (Science Museum London, Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0, Geni)
State of preservation
Fig. 8. Leviathan, Birr Castle (Wikipedia, Albert White)
The Large Telescope of Lord Rosse is well reconstructed.
The original mirror is preserved in the Science Museum London.
Comparison with related/similar sites
There existed two other large reflecting telescopes in Endland and Scotland ....
Threats or potential threats
no threats
Present use
Fig. 9. Reconstructed Leviathan, Birr Castle (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, Tpower)
The reconstructed Leviathan in Birr Castle is used as a public observatory.
Astronomical relevance today
Fig. 8. Leviathan, Birr Castle (Wikipedia, Albert White)
The Large Telescope of Lord Rosse is well reconstructed.
The original mirror is preserved in the Science Museum London.
Comparison with related/similar sites
There existed two other large reflecting telescopes in Endland and Scotland ....
Threats or potential threats
no threats
Present use
Fig. 9. Reconstructed Leviathan, Birr Castle (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, Tpower)
The reconstructed Leviathan in Birr Castle is used as a public observatory.
Astronomical relevance today
There existed two other large reflecting telescopes in Endland and Scotland ....
Threats or potential threats
no threats
Present use
Fig. 9. Reconstructed Leviathan, Birr Castle (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, Tpower)
The reconstructed Leviathan in Birr Castle is used as a public observatory.
Astronomical relevance today
no threats
Present use
Fig. 9. Reconstructed Leviathan, Birr Castle (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, Tpower)
The reconstructed Leviathan in Birr Castle is used as a public observatory.
Astronomical relevance today
Fig. 9. Reconstructed Leviathan, Birr Castle (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, Tpower)
The reconstructed Leviathan in Birr Castle is used as a public observatory.