Nasmyth telescope
Telescopio Nasmyth
- Date
- 1845 · confidence high
- Place
- Patricroft, Manchester, England, United Kingdom
- Credited to
- James Nasmyth
- Field
- Communication
What it is
A variant of the Cassegrain reflecting telescope devised by Scottish engineer James Nasmyth in 1845, which deflects light sideways via a flat secondary mirror to a fixed eyepiece on the instrument's altitude axis.
What it led to
- Easier observation with large, heavy instruments
- Adoption of the Nasmyth-Cassegrain design in modern large professional telescopes
- Ergonomic improvement for observers on altazimuth mounts