Reflecting telescope, made by James Short

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This reflecting telescope was made by James Short in Edinburgh in 1737. James Short (1710-68), the renowned telescope maker, made only reflecting telescopes, and in fact his skill lay in the polishing of metal specula (mirrors) of these instruments. This telescope appears to have been a replacement for any which had been owned by the University of Edinburgh, which were mislaid after the Jacobite Army overran the city in 1745. This particular reflector which is dated 1737, may have been uncovered from its hiding place at a later date.

This is an 18-inch focus, 4-inch aperture Gregorian reflecting telescope. The signature on this instrument gives the date. The coding on Short's instruments establishes their place in his sequence: this one was the 17th he had made of this focal length; and it was the 129th telescope that he had made.

There was a long tradition in the making of reflecting telescopes, both for the dilettante market as well as for the more serious scientist, and the finest instruments during the 18th century were produced in London. The quality of optical glass at this period meant that the image seen through the refracting image remained comparatively poor at high magnifications.

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• Online ID: 000-180-000-154-C
• Image Rights Holder: National Museums Scotland
• Project: National Museums Scotland Part 2
  Project description   View all records in project
• Ref: National Museums Scotland  
• Date: 1737
  
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  • Bryden, D.J. James Short and his Telescopes. Edinburgh, 1968, p 13. 
  • For James Short, see Clarke, T.N., A.D. Morrison-Low and A.D.C. Simpson. Brass & Glass: Scientific Instrument Making Workshops in Scotland. Edinburgh, 1989, pp 1-10. 
  • Macdonald, Angus and A.D. Morrison-Low. A heavenly Library: Treasures from the Royal Observatory's Crawford Collection. Edinburgh, 1994, pp 59-60. 
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