While there are plenty of refracting telescopes available for purchase at reasonable prices, many astronomers want to be able to see more than they can show them. There are also a number of highly powerful telescopes available for serious astronomers but they frequently come with price tags far greater than many can afford.
One option to see those distance objects that cannot be seen in great deal on a typical telescope for the home is to find a list of the largest refracting telescopes in your area. Often times observatories that house these large refracting telescopes are open to the public certain days of the week. If you have one in your area this can be a great opportunity to see objects in the night sky in great detail without having to spend a small fortune to do so.
Some Of The Largest Refracting Telescopes In The World
The Yerkes Observatory is home to a 40 inch refracting telescope. It is located at the University of Chicago in Williams Bay, Wisconsin. This is one of the largest refracting telescopes in the world and was built over a hundred years ago. The Yerkes Observatory is open to the public.
The Lick Observatory in San Jose, California at the University of California is the location of a 36 inch refracting telescope. Until the Yerkes refracting telescope was built 9 years later this was the largest refracting telescope on the planet. The telescope was the first to be located on an observatory at the top of a mountain. Its location proved optimal because there was little light pollution to interfere. This refracting telescope was used to discover multiple moons around Jupiter, extra solar planets, and asteroids.
The Allegheny Observatory in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania is part of the University of Pittsburg. Their 30 inch refracting telescope is among the largest in the world. At one point the lens of the refracting telescope was stolen and held for ransom. The ransom was never paid and the person who stole it is a mystery to this day. Eventually the missing lens was found but it had a sizable scratch in it. The telescope lens was sent off to be reground as it was useless with the scratch and upon return it was found to work far better than it previously did.
The largest refracting telescope in the United Kingdom is located at the Royal Greenwich Observatory. Built in 1893 their refracting telescope was designed by Howard Grubb whose family founded the Grubb Telescope Company.