Telescope Collection

Messier objects, full set
Messier objects. These 110 astronomical objects were catalogued by the French astronomer Charles Messier (1730-1817), a comet hunter who wanted to list the permanent objects in the sky that might be

Orion nebula. Coloured composite infrared and visible light image of the Orion nebula M42. This emission nebula, a cloud of gas and dust in which starbirth takes place

Napoleon I / Gillray / G III
NAPOLEON I Cartoon of Napoleon I with George III in a Lilliputian context

Orions belt. Optical image of the line of three bright stars making up the belt in the constellation of Orion. The stars are, from lower left to upper right: Alnitak (Zeta Orionis)

Pillars of Creation, combined Chandra X-ray Observatory and Hubble Space Telescope image. These towering columns are formed of interstellar hydrogen gas and dust

1689 Sir Isaac Newton portrait young
Sir Isaac Newton ( 4 January 1643 -31 March 1727). English physicist and mathematician. 18th Century Mezzotint portrait after the painting by Sir Godfrey Kneller 1689, with later colouring

JAPAN: ASTRONOMY, 1936. Women watching stars. Color drawing, 1936, by Ota Chou

Thomas Cochrane / Dundonal
THOMAS COCHRANE 10TH EARL OF DUNDONALD British naval commander pictured with a telescope

Orion nebula (M42), optical image. This is a huge starbirth region, where gas is coalescing to form new stars. Radiation from the hot young stars ionises the gases in the nebula

GALILEO: MOON. Sketches by Galileo of the moon as he saw it through the telescope, from his book The Starry Messenger, 1610

Old Hartlepool Lighthouse, north east England
View of the old Hartlepool Lighthouse, north east England (County Durham), completed in 1847. A man with a telescope scans the horizon

Crab nebula, composite image
Crab nebula. Composite x-ray, infrared and optical image of the Crab nebula (M1), a remnant of a supernova that exploded in AD 1054

Galileos Telescope
Galileos telescope

Sir Isaac Newton, English mathematician, physicist, astronomer, natural philosopher, alchemist, theologian and occultist

Us-Space-Hubble
This photograph released 24 April 2003, taken by NASAs Hubble Space Telescopes Wide Field Planetary Camera 2 in May 1999, captures a small region within M17, a hotbed of star formation

An early daguerreotype of the moon, taken by John Adams Whipple and George Phillips Bond with the 15-inch refractor at
DAGUERREOTYPE: MOON, 1852. An early daguerreotype of the moon, taken by John Adams Whipple and George Phillips Bond with the 15-inch refractor at the Harvard College Observatory in Cambridge

Peninsular War, with riflemen of 95th Reg
An action during the Peninsular War, with riflemen of 95th (Rifle) Regiment acting as snipers, 1810 (c).Watercolour attributed to Denis Dighton

Cover of Film Pictorial - September 1933 - Mickey Mouse
Cover of Film Pictorial ( All Star Souvenir Number ) of September 30th 1933 featuring Mickey Mouse. Disney Copyright - essential to credit the copyright holder on any reproduction Date: 1933

Spiral galaxy NGC 2841, HST image
Spiral galaxy NGC 2841, Hubble Space Telescope (HST) image. This galaxy lies around 46 million light years from Earth in the constellation Ursa Major

Halleys comet, 19th Century artwork. 1835 woodcut print depicting the 1835 appearance of Halleys comet. Halleys Comet is the only naked-eye comet certain to return within a human lifetime

Light echoes from exploding star
Light echoes from an exploding star. Hubble Space Telescope image of an illuminated dust shell around the star v838 Monocerotis

Kitt Peak Observatory and Milky Way
Kitt Peak National Observatory, Tucson, Arizona, USA, and the Milky Way. With 23 telescopes, this is the largest collection of astronomical instruments in the world

Napoleon and Spyglass
Mounted on his horse Marengo, He watches the progress of a battle with the aid of a spy- glass

Sir Isaac Newton, English mathematician, physicist, astronomer, natural philosopher, alchemist, theologian and occultist

Ring Nebula M57, Hubble image C017 / 3725
Ring Nebula (M22, NGC 6720). Combined images from the Subaru Telescope and Hubble Space telescope of the Ring Nebula M57. The Ring nebula is a planetary nebula lying around 2300 light years

JOHN FLAMSTEED, c. 1700. Royal astronomer John Flamsteed, his one paid assistant, and friend, Marsh, in the old observing room at the Greenwich Observatory, England. English color engraving, c. 1700

Cigar galaxy (M82), composite image
Cigar galaxy (M82). Combined optical, infrared and X-ray image of the Cigar galaxy (M82). This image was obtained by combining data from three of NASAs Great Observatories, found in Earth orbit

Spiral galaxy M81, composite image. M81 is around 12 million light years from Earth, in the constellation of Ursa Major. It has a supermassive black hole at its centre

Kepler Mission space telescope, artwork. The NASA Kepler Mission is designed to discover Earth-like planets orbiting other stars

Mauna Kea telescopes and Milky Way. Silhouetted against a sunset glow are the Subaru Telescope (far left), the Keck I and II telescopes (centre left and centre)

Solar prominence, ultraviolet SOHO (Solar and Heliospheric Observatory) satellite image. The prominence (top right), is a dense cloud of plasma, or ionised gas

Observatory at Delhi
Observatory complex at Delhi

Helix nebula, planetary nebula
Helix nebula (NGC 7293), optical image. This is a planetary nebula, a series of shells of gas cast off from a Sun-like star towards the end of its life

Halleys Comet, 1910
Halleys Comet. Halleys Comet orbits the Sun every 76 years. This periodicity was discovered by Edmund Halley (1654-1742), after whom the comet is named

Ufos / Adamski
Cigar-shaped Venusian interplanetary carrier photographed through a 6" telescope over Palomar Gardens, California; it was 50 km distant at the time

Lovell Telescope
The brainchild of Sir Bernard Lovell, the Lovell Radio Telescope was for many years the largest in the world and dominates the Cheshire countryside for miles around. Date: 1960s

Transit of Venus, 8th June 2004
Transit of Venus. Composite image of Venus (black transiting the Sun on 8th June 2004. The images were taken from Waldenburg, Germany)

Merope star and nebulosity
Merope star and associated nebulosity. Merope (23 Tauri) is one of the stars in the Pleiades open star cluster (M45). Unusually for a nebula, the gas and dust is not associated with the young stars

Cuthbert Collingwood
LORD CUTHBERT COLLINGWOOD English naval commander. Took command on Nelsons death at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805

Sir Isaac Newton, English mathematician, astronomer and physicist, (19th century). Artist: Freeman
Sir Isaac Newton, English mathematician, astronomer and physicist, (19th century). Newtons (1643-1727) discoveries were prolific and exerted a huge influence on science and thought

Nicolaus Copernicus, Polish astronomer
Nicolaus Copernicus (1473-1543) observing a lunar eclipse in Rome, Italy, in 1500. Copernicus was a Polish astronomer who studied in both Poland and Italy

The astronomers waiting for the eclipse
The eclipse expedition in India to observe the total eclipse of the sun. Mr. Norman Lockyer is shown seated a little to the left beneath the umbrella

William A. Doberck, Danish astronomer
William A. Doberck (1852-1941), Danish astronomer. Doberck became the first director of the Hong Kong Observatory from its foundation in 1883 until 1907

Whirlpool Galaxy (M51, NGC 5194), visible light image. The Whirlpool galaxy is locked in a gravitational interaction with the smaller irregular galaxy NGC 5195 (left of M51)

Large Magellanic cloud
Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), infrared image. The LMC is a dwarf galaxy, and a satellite of our own Milky Way galaxy. It contains regions of emission nebula (green, yellow and red)

Optique Telescope / Didero
An optique telescope

Cook Lands in Nz
Captain Cook is the first European to set foot in New Zealand

Kepler with Rudolf II
JOHANNES KEPLER German astronomer with Rudolf II

Inside the Dome of Discovery, Festival of Britain, London
General view inside the Dome of Discovery, part of the Festival of Britain site on the South Bank, London. This part of the exhibition covered Britains conquest of the physical world through

Polish troops of the 2nd Corps in Italy. The continue to train, even after hostilities have ended. Picture taken 25th May 1945

View though telescope by Olafur Eliasson at Centro de Arte Contemporanea Inhotim, Brumadinho, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil

Napoleon at the Battle of Wagram, (1809), c. 1910s
Napoleon at the Battle of Wagram on 6th July 1809. Napoleon defeated the Austrians at Wagram, forcing them to sue for peace four days later and bringing an end to the War of the Fifth Coalition

Telescopic Philanthropy, 1865. Artist: John Tenniel
Telescopic Philanthropy, 1865. Little London Arab. Please M, Ain t We Black Enough to be Cared For? (With Mr. Punchs Compliments to Lord Stanley.) In his novel, Bleak House

George Calver, English instrument maker
George Calver (1834-1927) English scientific instrument maker. Calvers interest in astronomy began in childhood when his local clergyman showed him a reflecting telescope

Looking Over New York City
A group of people on the outdoor viewing platform of the Empire State building looking out over New York circa 1940. (Photo by FPG/Getty Images)

Hubble Space Telescope above earth

NEWTONs TELESCOPE, c1670. Isaac Newtons reflecting telescope, c1670: line engraving, 19th century

MILTON VISITING GALILEO. John Milton visiting Galileo Galilei during Miltons Italian tour of 1638-1639. Line engraving after a painting by Annibale Gatti

Artwork of Hubble Space Telescope over Earth
Hubble Space Telescope. Computer artwork of the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) in orbit over Earth, facing a collage of images that are typical of those it produces

Royal Society endorsement of a lens-grinder, 1600s
Opticians advertisement illustrated with Archimedes at a telescope, London, 1694. Hand-colored woodcut of a 17th-century illustration

Ufos / Adamski
Venusian interplanetary carrier and six scout craft photographed through a 6" telescope over Palomar Gardens, California

Astronomer Patrick Moore at Torquay Boys Grammar School. 18th November 1993

A Hansen, first officer on the Knivsberg, South China Sea, 1898. Portrait of a German crew member on board the SS Knivsberg

Cover design, Dombey and Son
Cover design, Part XI of Dombey and Son by Charles Dickens, August 1847, with illustrations by Hablot K Browne. 1847

View of Lake Louise with a Telescope in the Foreground, Alberta, Canada
Lake Louise is a hamlet in Alberta, Canada within Improvement District No. 9 Banff (Banff National Park)

Library, Hartwell House, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire
Watercolour painting of the Library at Hartwell House, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, by Henrietta Grace Baden Powell (nee Smyth, 1824-1914), mother of Robert. circa 1840s

Mars map from 1881
Map of Mars, published in Paris in 1881. The first accurate telescope observations of Mars were made in 1877 and 1881 when Mars was at its closest to Earth (a situation called an opposition)

Advertisement, Thomas Harris, Opticians to the Royal Family
Advertisement, Thomas Harris & Son, Opticians to the Royal Family. 1841

Great telescope at Yerkes Observatory, USA
Great telescope at Yerkes Observatory, University of Chicago, Williams Bay, Wisconsin, USA

Spectrograph telescope engraving 1895
Meyers Konversations-Lexikon. Ein Nachschlagewerk des allgemeinen Wissens, 5th edition 17 volumes Bibliographisches Institut - Leipzig 1895-1897

M22 Globular Star Cluster, Hubble image C017 / 3722
M14 Globular Star Cluster (NGC 6656). This globular cluster lies around 10, 400 light years from Earth in the constellation Sagittarius

Spiral galaxy, HST image C013 / 5098
Spiral galaxy. Hubble Space Telescope (HST) image of the spiral galaxy NGC 3982. It is located in the constellation Ursa Major, approximately 68 million light years from Earth

Amateur astronomy, computer artwork
Amateur astronomy. Computer artwork of a silhouetted amateur astronomer using a telescope to view the Milky Way. The Milky Way is a band of stars in the night sky that is a view of our own spiral

Supernova remnant IC 443, composite image. This is a combination of X-ray (blue), radio (green) and optical (red) data. A supernova remnant (SNR)

1861 Punch Dinosaurs & Comet cartoon 1861 Punch Dinosaurs & Comet cartoon
From Punch 41 (1861) page 34, July. " The age of the comet ascertained to a nicety. The antediluvians recognise an old acquantance of A.M. 1372"

PSCI2A-00005
William Herschel and his sister Caroline at their telescope, 1700s. Hand-colored halftone of a 19th-century illustration

Greenwich Observatory
Astronomers taking sightings from the old observing-room at Greenwich, England. Hand-colored engraving

Syntax Star-Gazing
Dr Syntax shows a lady the stars through a telescope, while the butler trips over a dog on the stairs and drops his tray of crockery

Trigonometry Point
A Trigonometry Point at Buvita in the Belgium Congo, topped off with a broom!

Stephans quintet. Optical image of Stephans quintet. This group of galaxies is 300 million light years from Earth in the constellation Pegasus

Horsehead nebula, optical image. The horsehead shape is caused by dark nebula Barnard 33 (B 33). This cloud of dust and gas obscures the light from the emission nebula IC 434 that lies behind

Wh Russell / Illus Times
SIR WILLIAM HOWARD RUSSELL British war correspondent for The Times, reporting from the Crimea in 1855

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"Exploring the Cosmos: A Journey through the Telescope" In a vast expanse of darkness, our eyes turn towards the heavens. The telescope, an instrument of wonder and discovery, unveils secrets hidden within the celestial tapestry. As we gaze upon Orions belt, we are reminded of the ancient navigators who used these stars to guide their way. With each lens focused on Messier objects, we witness a full set of cosmic wonders unfold before us. Like Sir Isaac Newton in his youthful portrait from 1689, we embark on a journey that transcends time itself. The Orion Nebula emerges like a vibrant painting in space, its ethereal beauty captivating our senses. We marvel at the Pillars of Creation - colossal structures where new stars are born amidst interstellar dust and gas. From Thomas Cochrane's observatory in Dundonald to Japan's astronomy enthusiasts in 1936 depicted by Ota Chou's color drawing; humanity has always sought solace under starlit skies. Galileo's sketches from "The Starry Messenger" transport us back to 1610 when he first beheld the moon through his revolutionary telescope. Even Napoleon I himself was captivated by this celestial tool as depicted by Gillray's satirical illustration. And let us not forget about Old Hartlepool Lighthouse standing tall along England's northeastern coast - a beacon guiding sailors while reminding them of distant galaxies yet to be explored. Amongst these wonders lies NGC 2841 - a spiral galaxy captured beautifully by Hubble Space Telescope imagery. Its mesmerizing form reminds us that there is still so much left unseen beyond our own world. Through telescopic lenses, humanity reaches for knowledge among twinkling stars and distant galaxies alike, and is an eternal quest for understanding that unites us all under one universal sky.