Talk:40-foot telescope
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Notes edit
There are a couple of images at http://www.nmm.ac.uk/collections/explore/object.cfm?ID=ZBA4492 and http://www.nmm.ac.uk/collections/explore/object.cfm?ID=PAF7451 - unclear whether these can be used on Wikipedia. Also, original mirror now at the science museum, http://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/objects/astronomy/1932-567.aspx, but URL does not currently work. Mike Peel (talk) 22:13, 22 November 2008 (UTC)
Calling a telescope by its length rather than diameter? edit
Modern parlance is to refer to telescopes by their diameter. The 40-foot name here is (presumably!) the length of the tube. It would be interesting to have something in the article which discussed why. Has common usage just changed over time? -- RoySmith (talk) 16:33, 27 November 2008 (UTC)
Merger edit
I disagree with the merger: the two articles focus on different things, one on a telescope the other on a building/observatory, and I don't think a combined article would work well. I hope that the building article can be expanded in the future. Mike Peel (talk) 10:21, 22 March 2009 (UTC)
Johann Alexander Herschel edit
The NMH website [2] lists "Johann Alexander Herschel" as one of the creators of this telescope. I took this to be John Herschel, but as was pointed out "John Herschel was born in 1792 and can hardly have helped build a telescope finished in 1789." [3]. Does anyone know who Johann Alexander Herschel was? Mike Peel (talk) 21:54, 21 November 2009 (UTC)