| RefNo | CLP/20/61 |
| Level | File |
| Title | Paper, 'Of a telescope stand set up in the yard of Gresham College' by Robert Hooke |
| Date | 17th century |
| Description | Relates how a telescope stand was set up in the middle of the quadrangle at Gresham College. Includes Hooke's sketch of a 36 foot refractor telescope by Richard Reeve of Long Acre in a tube of 40 feet mounted in the courtyard of Gresham College, the tube being braced to prevent it bending under its own weight, and suspended from a mast by a system of pulleys and raised or lowered by a winch at the base. The suspension of the pulley could move around the mast, according to the direction required of the telescope. A rest for the eye end resembles an artist's easel, while at the foot of the page is a series of micrometers designed by Christopher Wren.
Hooke writes in the accompanying account as though it is a shared resource: there had been contributions to its design by different people in his circle and it was used by other astronomers as well as himself.
Subject: Astronomy |
| Extent | 9p |
| Format | Manuscript |
| PhysicalDescription | Ink on paper |
| Digital images | View item on Science in the Making |
| Notes | One figure 'of a way to manage a long telescope' has been removed from the volume and is in an envelope on bay 31, adjacent to volumes |
| AccessStatus | Open |
| RelatedRecord | CLP/20/61/1 |
| CLP/20/61/2 |
| CLP/20/61/3 |
Fellows associated with this archive
| Code | PersonName | Dates |
| NA8242 | Hooke; Robert (1635 - 1703); natural philosopher | 1635 - 1703 |