Aerial telescope
Date
25 June 1684
Creator
Robert Hooke (1635 - 1703, British) , Natural philosopher
Object type
Archive reference number
Manuscript page number
p7
Dimensions
height (page): 313mm
width (page): 217mm
width (page): 217mm
Description
Illustration of Christian Huygens's aerial telescope after the engraving in his Astroscopia compendiaria (The Hague, 1684). The illustration accompanies the text of Robert Hooke's discussion of Huygens's telescope read to the Royal Society on 25 June 1684. The illustration follows the printed version closely and shows a 50-foot mast, an object lens with a 70-foot focal length, an eyepiece attached to the object lens with a strand of silk, a trestle for the observer to lean against and a dark-lantern.
Object history
At the meeting of the Royal Society on 25 June 1684, 'Mr. Hooke read a paper about the manner of observing with long telescope-glasses without a tube' (Birch, 4:308).
Related fellows
Christiaan Huygens (1629 - 2006, Dutch) , Natural philosopher