List of the largest optical telescopes

Overview of the largest optical telescopes

Telescopes for radiation with a wavelength of less than 100 µm that have diffraction or seeing- limited imaging are listed:

• Rank (not specified: special construction or historical / under construction)
• Diameter: dimension of the main optical component / of the area corresponding to the circle (partly segmented mirror ); the information may differ slightly due to the customary inch dimensions (rounding)
• Altitude: above sea level
• Nationality: the observatory or the sponsors
• Date: Commissioning: In some cases, the dates given in various sources for completion may differ by a year or more. This is mostly due to the fact that "commissioning" is defined differently ( first light , first light ; first recordings (often with temporary cameras); end of construction work; inauguration or scientific commissioning).

No.	Surname	diameter	image	Location	Height above M.	nationality	date	Remarks
1	Large Binocular Telescope (LBT)	2 × 8.4 m ≙ 11.8 m		Mount Graham , Arizona, USA	3267 m	USA, Italy, Germany	2005	2 individual mirrors on a common mount (completion of both mirrors in 2007, completion of the entire system in 2011), interferometric base length 22.8 m
2	Gran Telescopio Canarias (GTC)	10.4 m, segmented		Roque de los Muchachos , La Palma , Spain	2396 m	Spain, Mexico, USA	2007
3	Cheeky I.	10 m, segmented		Mauna Kea Observatory , Hawaii, USA	4200 m	United States	1993	with Keck II: interferometric base length 85 m
4th	Keck II	10 m, segmented		Mauna Kea Observatory , Hawaii, USA	4200 m	United States	1996
5	Southern African Large Telescope (SALT)	Max. 10 m, segmented		South African Astronomical Observatory , Karoo Plateau, South Africa	1760 m	South Africa, USA, UK, India, Poland, New Zealand	2005	fixed elevation angle of 53 ° (favorable construction); initially optical problems
6th	Hobby-Eberly Telescope (HET)	9-10 m, segmented		McDonald Observatory , Davis Mountains, Texas, USA	1980 m	USA, Germany	1999	fixed elevation angle 55 °, therefore comparatively low construction costs; up to an upgrade in 2015 the aperture was 9.2 m
7th	Subaru Telescope	8.2 m		Mauna Kea Observatory , Hawaii, USA	4139 m	Japan	1999
8th	VLT 1 (Antu)	8.2 m		Paranal Observatory , Chile	2635 m	ESO countries	1998	Part of the Very Large Telescope , interferometric base length up to 200 m
9	VLT 2 (Kueyen)	8.2 m		Paranal Observatory , Chile	2635 m	ESO countries	1999
10	VLT 4 (Yepun)	8.2 m		Paranal Observatory , Chile	2635 m	ESO countries	2001
11	VLT 3 (Melipal)	8.2 m		Paranal Observatory , Chile	2635 m	ESO countries	2002
12	Gemini Northern Telescope	8.1 m		Mauna Kea Observatory , Hawaii, USA	4213 m	USA, UK, Canada, Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Chile	1999
13	Gemini Southern Telescope	8.1 m		Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory , Cerro Pachón, Chile	2740 m	USA, UK, Canada, Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Chile	2000
14th	MMT	6.5 m		Fred Lawrence Whipple Observatory , Arizona, USA	2606 m	United States	2000	resulting from the conversion of the Multiple Mirror Telescope
15th	Walter Baade Telescope / Magellan I	6.5 m		Las Campanas Observatory , Chile	2380 m	United States	2000
16	Landon Clay Telescope / Magellan II	6.5 m		Las Campanas Observatory , Chile	2380 m	United States	2002
17th	Big Telescope Alt-Azimuthal (BTA)	6.0 m		Zelenchuk Observatory , Caucasus, Russia	2070 m	Russia	1975	until 1993 the world's largest telescope
18th	Large Zenith Telescope (LZT)	6.0 m		Malcolm Knapp Research Forest, British Columbia , Canada	0395 m	Canada, France, USA	2004	rotating mercury mirror, zenith telescope
19th	Hale telescope	5.1 m		Palomar Observatory , California, USA	1706 m	United States	1949	until 1975 the world's largest telescope
20th	Discovery Channel Telescope (DCT)	4.3 m		Happy Jack, Arizona	2360 m		2012	large angle of view
21st	William Herschel Telescope	4.2 m		Roque de los Muchachos , La Palma, Canary Islands	2396 m	Great Britain, Netherlands, Spain	1987
22nd	SOAR Telescope	4.1 m		Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory , Cerro Pachón, Chile	2738 m	USA, Brazil	2004
23	Vista	4.1 m		Paranal Observatory , Chile	2635 m	first UK only, now ESO countries	2009	large angle of view
24	Large Sky Area Multi-Object Fiber Spectroscopic Telescope (LAMOST)	4.0 m, segmented		Xinglong Station , China	0960 m	China	2007	largest telescope in China, similar to a Schmidt telescope
25th	Victor M. Blanco Telescope	4.0 m		Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory , Chile	2200 m	?	1976	Largest telescope in the southern hemisphere until 1998
26th	Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope	4 m		Haleakalā	3000 m		2020
27	Anglo-Australian Telescope (AAT)	3.9 m		Siding Spring Observatory , Australia	1165 m	UK, Australia	1975
28	Mayall	3.8 m		Kitt Peak , Arizona, USA	2085 m	?	1973
29	United Kingdom Infrared Telescope (UKIRT)	3.8 m		Mauna Kea Observatory , Hawaii	4200 m	Great Britain	1979	Infrared observations
30th	AEOS	3.7 m		AMOS , Haleakalā , Maui (Hawaii)	3000 m	?	1997	Maui Space Surveillance System, mostly military
31	3.6 m	3.6 m		La Silla Observatory , Chile	2400 m	ESO countries	1977	first large European telescope in the southern hemisphere
32	Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope (CFHT)	3.6 m		Mauna Kea Observatory , Hawaii	4200 m	Canada, France	1979
33	Telescopio Nazionale Galileo (TNG)	3.6 m		Roque de los Muchachos , La Palma, Canary Islands	2396 m	Italy	1997
34	Devasthal Optical Telescope	3.6 m		Devasthal Observatory , India	2450 m		2015
35	Calar Alto 3.5	3.5 m		Calar Alto Observatory , Spain	2168 m	Germany, Spain	1984	Largest telescope in continental Europe
36	New Technology Telescope (NTT)	3.5 m		La Silla Observatory , Chile	2400 m	ESO countries	1989	first telescope with active optics
37	Astrophysical Research Consortium (ARC)	3.5 m		Apache Point Observatory , New Mexico, USA	2788 m	?	1994
38	WIYN	3.5 m		Kitt Peak , Arizona, USA	2085 m	?	1994
39	Starfire Optical Range Telescopes	3.5 m		Kirtland AFB, New Mexico, USA	1600 m	?	1994	military
40	Herschel space telescope	3.5 m		Lagrangian point L2	1.5 million km	ESA	2009	for observation in the far infrared, Hellium cooling and fuel consumed, switched off since 2013
41	Space Surveillance Telescope (SST)	3.5 m		White Sands Missile Range , New Mexico, USA	1199 m	?	2011	large field of view, stationed in Australia since 2016
42	Shane	3.0 m		Lick Observatory , Mount Hamilton, USA	1300 m	?	1959
43	NASA IRTF	3.0 m		Mauna Kea Observatory , Hawaii	4200 m	NASA	1979	Infrared
44	NASA LMT	3.0 m		Sacramento Peak , New Mexico, USA	2751 m	United States	1995	rotating mercury, in operation until 2002
45	Infrared Spatial Interferometer	2.86 m		Mount Wilson Observatory	1742 m	United States	2003	Interferometer, 3 × 65 ″, mid-infrared, interferometric base length up to 70 m
46	Harlan Smith	2.7 m		McDonald Observatory , Texas, USA	2104 m	?	1969
47	UBC-Laval LMT	2.65 m		Vancouver , Canada ⊙			1994	Liquid mirror , zenith telescope
48	BAO	2.6 m		Byurakan Observatory , Armenia	1500 m		1976
49	Shajn	2.64 m		Crimean Observatory , Russia	0560 m	?	1961
50	VST	2.61 m		Paranal Observatory , Chile	2635 m	?	2011	large angle of view
51	JST / T250	2.55 m		Observatorio Astrofísico de Javalambre (OAJ), El Pico del Buitre, Teruel, Spain	1957 m	?	2016
52	Hooker's telescope	2.5 m		Mount Wilson Observatory , California, USA	1742 m	?	1917	Largest telescope up to 1949, with Michelson interferometer 6 m base length (from 1920)
53	Isaac Newton	2.5 m		Roque de los Muchachos , La Palma, Canary Islands	2396 m	?	1967
54	Nordic Optical Telescope	2.5 m		Roque de los Muchachos , La Palma, Canary Islands	2396 m	?	1988
55	du Pont	2.5 m		Las Campanas Observatory , Chile	2380 m	?	1977
56	Sloan Digital Sky Survey	2.5 m		Apache Point Observatory , New Mexico, USA	2788 m	?	1998	large angle of view
57	Stratospheric Observatory For Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA)	2.5 m		stratosphere	14 km	NASA, DLR	2010	Airborne , infrared
58	2.5 m telescope	2.5 m		Kawkasskaja gornaja obserwatorija GAISCH MGU , Russia	2112 m	Russia	2014
59	Lijiang telescope	2.45 m		Gaomeigu, Yunnan Astronomical Observatory , China	3193 m	?	2007
60	CHARA array	2.45 m		Mount Wilson Observatory , California, USA	1742 m	?	2002	Interferometer, 6 × 1 m, interferometric base length 331 m
61	Hiltner	2.4 m		Kitt Peak , Arizona, USA	2095 m	?	1986
62	Hubble Space Telescope	2.4 m		orbit	558,000 m	NASA, ESA	1990	satellite
63	2.4 m telescope	2.4 m		Magdalena Ridge Observatory , USA	3180 m		2008
64	Thai National Telescope Project	2.4 m		Doi Inthanon , Thailand	2457 m	?	2012
65	Automated Planet Finder	2.4 m		Lick Observatory , USA	1280 m	United States	2009
66	Vainu Bappu Telescope	2.34 m		Vainu Bappu Observatory , Kavalur, India	0700 m	India	1986
67	Wyoming Infrared Observatory (WIRO)	2.3 m		Laramie, Wyoming , USA	2948 m	?	1977	Infrared
68	ANU	2.3 m		Siding Spring Observatory , Australia	1165 m	?	1984
69	Aristarchus	2.3 m		Aroania , Greece	2340 m	Greece	2004	Observatory website
70	Bok	2.3 m		Kitt Peak , Arizona, USA	2095 m	?	1969
71	MPG / ESO 2.2 m telescope	2.2 m		La Silla Observatory , Chile	2400 m	?	1984
72	MPI-CAHA	2.2 m		Calar Alto Observatory , Spain	2168 m	Germany, Spain	1979
73	UH	2.2 m		Mauna Kea Observatory , Hawaii	4200 m	United States	1970
74	2.16 m telescope	2.16 m		Xinglong Station , China	0960 m	China	1989
75	Jorge Sahade Telescope	2.15 m		Leoncito Astronomical Facility , Argentina	2552 m		1987
76	Grand Interféromètre à 2 Télescopes (GI2T)	2.15 m		Observatoire de Calern , France	1270 m		1985	Interferometer consisting of two 1.52 m mirrors, base length up to 65 m
77	INAOE	2.12 m		Guillermo Haro Astrophysical Observatory , Mexico	2480 m		1987
78	UNAM	2.12 m		Sierra San Pedro Mártir , Mexico	2830 m		1979
79	KPNO 2.1 m	2.1 m		Kitt Peak , Arizona, USA	2095 m	?	1964
80	Otto Struve Telescope	2.08 m		McDonald Observatory , Texas, USA	2104 m	United States	1939
81	Bernard Lyot telescope	2.06 m		Pic du Midi Observatory , Pyrenees, France	2877 m	France	1980	largest telescope in France
82	T13 2.0 m AST	2.06 m		Fairborn Observatory, Washington Camp, Arizona (TSU AAG)	1800 m	USA (NASA, NSF, & TSU)	2003
83	Hanle	2.01 m		Indian Astronomical Observatory , India	4500 m		2000	Telescope in the West Himalayas
84	Alfred Jensch telescope	2.0 m		Thuringian State Observatory Tautenburg , Germany	0342 m	?	1960	D = 1.38 m as Schmidt telescope , largest telescope on German soil, largest Schmidt telescope, very large angle of view
85	Carl Zeiss, Jena	2.0 m		Ondřejov Observatory , Czech Republic	0500 m		1967
86	Carl Zeiss, Jena	2.0 m		Şamaxı Astrophysical Observatory , Republic of Azerbaijan	1435 m		1966
87	Carl Zeiss, Jena	2.0 m		Rožen Observatory , Bulgaria	1759 m		1980
88	Zeiss-2000	2.0 m		Main Observatory of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine , Terskol	3100 m		1995
89	Multicolor Active Galactic Nuclei Monitoring (MAGNUM)	2.0 m		Haleakalā , Hawaii	3000 m		1995
90	Faulkes Telescope North	2.0 m		Haleakalā , Hawaii	3000 m		2003
91	Faulkes Telescope South	2.0 m		Siding Spring Observatory , Australia	1165 m		2004
92	Liverpool	2.0 m		Roque de los Muchachos	2396 m		2004
93	IUCAA telescope	2.0 m		IUCAA Girawali Observatory	1000 m	India	2006
94	Fraunhofer telescope	2.0 m		Wendelstein Observatory , Germany	1838 m	Germany	2012
95	OHP 1.93	1.93 m		Observatoire de Haute-Provence , France	0650 m	France	1958
96	1.9 m Radcliffe Telescope	1.9 m		South African Astronomical Obs.	1760 m		1948
97	188 cm telescope	1.88 m		Okayama Astrophysical Observatory , Japan	0372 m	Japan	1960
98	DDO 1.88 m	1.88 m		David Dunlap Observatory , Ontario	0238 m	Canada	1935
99	74 ″ reflector	1.88 m		Mount Stromlo Observatory , Australia	0770 m	Australia	1955	Was destroyed in a forest fire in 2003.
100	Kottamia telescope 1.88 m	1.88 m		Kottamia Astronomical Observatory , Egypt	0476 m	Egypt	1964
101	1.8 m Ritchey Cretien reflector	1.84 m		Bohyunsan Optical Astronomy Observatory , Korea	1127 m	Korea	1996
102	Vatican Advanced Technology Telescope (VATT)	1.83 m		Mount Graham , Arizona	3178 m	Vatican	1993
103	72-inch Perkins Telescope	1.83 m		Lowell Observatory , Anderson Mesa USA	2163 m		1964
104	Plaskett telescope	1.83 m		Dominion Astrophysical Observatory , Canada	0238 m	England	1918
105	Leviathan	1.83 m		Birr (Ireland)	0075 m	England	1845	Dismantled in 1908, restored in 1999. Metal mirror
106	Copernico 182 cm	1.82 m		Osservatorio Astrofisico di Asiago , Italy	1045 m	Italy	1976
107	CCD transit instrument	1.80 m		Kitt Peak	2095 m	United States	1984	Paul-Baker , in operation until 1992
108	Sandy Cross Telescope	1.80 m		Rothney Astrophysical Observatory , Canada	1269 m	Canada	1996
109	Spacewatch 1.8-m telescope	1.8 m		Kitt Peak National Observatory , USA	2095 m	United States	2001
110	VLT Auxiliary Telescope 1.8	1.8 m		Paranal Observatory , Chile	2635 m	ESO countries	2006
111	VLT Auxiliary Telescope 1.8	1.8 m		Paranal Observatory , Chile	2635 m	ESO countries	2006
112	VLT Auxiliary Telescope 1.8	1.8 m		Paranal Observatory , Chile	2635 m	ESO countries	2006
113	VLT Auxiliary Telescope 1.8	1.8 m		Paranal Observatory , Chile	2635 m	ESO countries	2006
114	Pan-STARRS 1	1.8 m		Haleakalā	3000 m	?	2006	large angle of view
115	Pan-STARRS 2	1.8 m		Haleakalā	3000 m	?	2018	large angle of view
116	Microlensing Observations in Astrophysics	1.8 m		Mount John University Observatory , New Zealand	1029 m	?	2004
117	1.8 m telescope	1.8 m		Yunnan Astronomical Observatory , China	3193 m	?	2009
118	KH-12	1.8 m		Utah		United States	2013	Largest amateur telescope , largest Dobsonian telescope
119	China Large Solar Telescope	1.8 m		China			2020
120	69-inch Perkins Telescope	1.75 m		Perkins Observatory , Ohio, USA	0280 m	United States	1931	Relocated to the Lowell Observatory in 1961, replaced by a 72 inch mirror in 1964
121	1.65 m telescope	1.65 m		Molėtai Astronomical Observatory , Lithuania	0220 m		1991
122	McMath-Pierce Solar Telescope	1.61 m		Kitt Peak National Observatory , Arizona, USA	2095 m	United States	1962
123	BBO NST	1.6 m		Big Bear Solar Observatory , California, USA	2067 m	United States	2009
124	AZT-33	1.6 m		Sayan Solar Observatory , Siberia, Russia	0832 m		1981
125	AZT-33VM	1.6 m		Sayan Solar Observatory , Siberia, Russia	0832 m		2016
126	1.6 m Perkin Elmer	1.6 m		Observatório do Pico dos Dias , Minas Gerais, Brazil	1870 m	Brazil	1981
127	Observatoire du Mont-Mégantic	1.6 m		Observatoire du Mont Mégantic , Québec, Canada	1114 m	Canada	1978
128	KMT-CTIO	1.6 m		Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory , Cerro Pachón, Chile	2740 m		2015	Part of the KMTNet
129	KMT-SAAO	1.6 m		South African Astronomical Observatory , South Africa	1760 m		2015	Part of the KMTNet
130	KMT-SSO	1.6 m		Siding Spring Observatory , Australia	1165 m		2015	Part of the KMTNet
131	Maui Space Surveillance System 1.6 m Telescope	1.57 m		Haleakalā , Hawaii	3000 m	United States	1966
132	1.56 m telescope	1.56 m		Shanghai (Sheshan) Astronomical Observatory , China	0100 m	China	1988
133	Kaj Strand Telescope	1.55 m		USNO Flagstaff Station , Arizona, USA	2316 m	United States	1964
134	61 "Kuiper Telescope	1.55 m		Steward Observatory , Arizona, USA	2518 m	United States	1965
135	Oak Ridge Observatory 61 "reflector	1.55 m		Oak Ridge Observatory , Massachusetts, USA	0185 m	United States	1933	Commons 60 "mirror was replaced by a 61" Pyrex mirror in 1936 .
136	Estación Astrofísica de Bosque Alegre	1.54 m		Estación Astrofísica de Bosque Alegre , Argentina	1350 m	Argentina	1942
137	Toppo Telescope No. 1 (TT1)	1,537 m		Astronomical Observatory of Castelgrande , Italy	1250 m	Italy	2008
138	AA Common 60 inch Telescope	1.524 m		London , England			1888	Bought and built by Harvard College Observatory in 1905
139	Harvard 60-inch reflector	1.524 m		Harvard College Observatory , Massachusetts, USA	0024 m	United States	1905	Relocated to South Africa in 1931 as a 1.5 m UFS Boyden Rockefeller reflector; the replacement mirror borrowed from the Perkins Observatory and shortly afterwards installed in the Oak Ridge reflector
140	Hale 60-Inch Telescope	1.524 m		Mt Wilson Observatory, California, USA	1742 m	United States	1908
141	FLWO 1.5 m Tillinghast	1.52 m		Fred Lawrence Whipple Observatory , Arizona	2606 m	United States	1994
142	Telescopio Carlos Sánchez (TCS)	1.52 m		Observatorio del Teide , Canary Islands, Spain	2400 m	UK + Spain	1971
143	OHP 1.52	1.52 m		Observatoire de Haute-Provence , France	0650 m	France	1967
144	Mt. Lemmon 60 "Dahl-Kirkham Telescope	1.52 m		Steward Obs. ( Mt. Lemmon ), Arizona, USA	2790 m	United States	1970
145	Steward Observatory 60 "Cassegrain Telescope	1.52 m		Steward Obs. ( Catalina Station Site II), Arizona, USA	2512 m	United States	1969	from 1972 in the Mount Lemmon Observatory
146	OAN 1.52 m	1.52 m		Calar Alto Observatory , Almeria, Spain	2168 m	Spain	1977
147	ESO 1.52 m	1.52 m		La Silla Observatory , Chile	2400 m	ESO	1968	out of service since 2002
148	1.52 m GD Cassini	1.52 m		Mount Orzale , Italy	0800 m	Italy	1976
149	Telescopio 1.5 m	1.5 m		Observatorio Astronómico Nacional, Sierra de San Pedro Mártir , Mexico	2830 m		1970
150	TIRGO	1.5 m		High alpine research station Gornergrat , Switzerland	3120 m	Italy + Switzerland	1979	Decommissioned in 2005
151	AZT-22	1.5 m		Maidanak Observatory , Uzbekistan	2593 m		1972
152	RTT150 (ex-AZT-22)	1.5 m		TUBITAK National Obs. , Turkey	2450 m	Russia + Turkey	1997
153	AZT-12	1.5 m		Tartu Observatoorium , Estonia	0077 m	USSR	1976
154	Danish 1.5 m	1.5 m		La Silla Observatory , Chile	2400 m	Denmark	1979
155	Hexapod telescope	1.5 m		Cerro Armazones , Antofagasta Region, Chile	3064 m	Germany	2005
156	OSN 1.5 m	1.5 m		Observatorio de Sierra Nevada , Granada, Spain	2896 m	Spain	1992
157	GREGOR solar / night telescope	1.5 m		Observatorio del Teide , Tenerife , Spain	2400 m	Germany	2012
158	SMARTS 1.5-m telescope	1.5 m		Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory , Chile	2200 m	?	1968
159	Gunma Astronomical Observatory 1.5 m telescope	1.5 m		Gunma Astronomical Observatory, Japan	0885 m		1999
160	1.5 m RC telescope	1.5 m		Leopold Figl Observatory , Austria	0882 m		1969
161	CANATA	1.5 m		Higashi-Hiroshima Observatory, Japan	0503 m		1994	Until 2006 as an infrared simulator in the NAOJ, Mitaka campus
162	1.5 m UFS Boyden Rockefeller reflector	1.5 m		Boyden Observatory , South Africa	1372 m		1933
163	Starfire Optical Range 1.5 m telescope	1.5 m		Kirtland AFB, New Mexico, USA	1600 m	?	1994	military
164	AZT-20	1.5 m		Obserwatorija Assy-Turgen , Kazakhstan			2016
	Herschel's 40-foot telescope	1.2 m		England		?	1789	Metal mirror, destroyed in 1839, surpassed by the Leviathan in 1845
	Constantijn Huygens' aerial telescope	0.22 m					1686	Lens telescope, largest telescope until 1734, focal length / length: 210 ft (≈ 64 m)
	Newton's telescope	0.03 m		England		?	1668	Metal mirror, first usable mirror telescope , 15 cm focal length
	Hevelius' aerial telescope	0.12 m		Hevelius Observatory , Danzig / Gdańsk			1645	Lens telescope, largest telescope until 1734, focal length / length: 150 ft (≈ 46 m)
	Galileo's telescope	0.016-0.038 m					1609-1620	first telescope in sky observation, lens
	Gaia (space probe)	two 1.45 m × 0.5 m		Lagrangian point L2	1.5 million km		2014	two rectangular primary mirrors
	Oschin Schmidt telescope (Big Schmidt)	1.26 / 1.83 m		Palomar Observatory , California, USA		?	1948	Corrector plate (lens)
	UK Schmidt telescope	1.24 / 1.83 m		Anglo-Australian Observatory, Siding Spring Observatory , Australia	1165 m	?	1973	Corrector plate (lens)
	1.25 m refractor	1.25 m		Paris, France		?	1900	historically, largest lens telescope ever built
	Yerkes refractor	1.02 m		Yerkes Observatory , Wisconsin , USA		?	1897	largest current lens telescope
	Swedish Solar Telescope (SST)	1.00 m		Roque de los Muchachos , La Palma, Canary Islands	2396 m	?	2002	modern large lens telescope, for solar observation
	Sunrise	1.00 m		stratosphere		?	2009	balloon carried; Solar observation
	New Vacuum Solar Telescope (NVST)	1.00 m		Yunnan Astronomical Observatory	1720 m		2010
		0.91 m		Lick Observatory , USA	1300 m	?	1888	lens
	Stratoscope	0.30 m, 0.91 m		stratosphere		United States	1957, 1971	balloon carried
	Grande Lunette	0.83 m / 0.62 m		Paris Observatory , Meudon , France		?	1891	Lens, double telescope
	Big refractor	0.80 m / 0.60 m		Astrophysical Observatory Potsdam , Germany		?	1899	Lens, double telescope
	Dunn Solar Telescope ex-VTT	0.76 m		National Solar Observatory , New Mexico, USA	2804 m	United States	1969	Solar observation, Coelostat, evacuated, 76 cm aperture, 1.5 m mirror diameter,
	Rathenower refractor	0.70 m		since 2008 in the Rathenow optics park		?	1953	Schupmann Medial Telescope , largest amateur refractor
	AZT-16	0.70 m		Observatorio Cerro el Roble		?	1968	Maksutov telescope
	AZT-14A	0.70 m		Abastumani	1600 m	?	1956	Maksutov telescope
	Large refractor of the Vienna University Observatory	0.68 m		Vienna, Austria	00250 m	Austria	1883	11 m focal length, ninth largest lens telescope in the world
	Baker-Nunn cameras	0.50 / 0.78 m		various		?	?	Lens triplet + Schmidt mirror, extremely large angle of view: 30 °, about 20 copies
	Large refractor of the Archenhold observatory	0.68		Berlin, Germany	0035 m (approx.)	Germany	1896	Giant telescope , with a focal length of 21 m and 130 tons, the longest movable telescope in the world.
	Cambridge Optical Aperture Synthesis Telescope	0.90 m		Mullard Radio Astronomy Observatory, England		?	?	Interferometer, 5 × 0.40 m, interferometric base length up to 100 m, highest angular resolution of one milli-arcsecond
	Far Infrared Interferometric Telescope	0.58 m		stratosphere	30 km	?	?	balloon carried; Interferometer, 2 × 0.41 m, interferometric base length up to 20 m, highest angular resolution of one arc second at 100 µm
	Sydney University Stellar Interferometer	0.20 m		Paul Wild Observatory, Australia		?	?	Interferometer, 2 × 0.14 m, interferometric base length up to 640 m, highest angular resolution of 70 micro-arcseconds
	European Extremely Large Telescope	39.3 m, segmented		Cerro Armazones	3060 m	ESO	2025	Start of construction 2012
	Thirty Meter Telescope	30 m, segmented		Mauna Kea	4200 m	California Universities a. a.	2027
	Giant Magellan Telescope	7 × 8.4 m ≙ 24.5 m		Cerro Las Campanas, Chile		various universities and institutes	2029	7 individual mirrors on joint mounting, construction start 2012
	Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST)	8 m		Cerro Pachon, Chile	2682 m	LSST Corporation, US	2022	large angle of view
	James Webb Space Telescope	6.5 m, segmented		Lagrangian point L2	1.5 million km	NASA, ESA, Canada	2021
	San Pedro Mártir Telescope	6.5 m		San Pedro Mártir Observatory, Baja California, Mexico			2022
	TAO	6.5 m		University of Tokyo Atacama Observatory , Chile	5640 m	?	2019	highest located observatory, especially for infrared astronomy
	Magdalena Ridge Observatory Interferometer	4.4 m		Socorro County , New Mexico, USA		?	2021	10 × 1.4 m interferometer, base length 400 m
	International Liquid Mirror Telescope	4 m		Devasthal , India			2020	rotating mercury
	WFIRST	2.4 m		orbit			2026	NASA Wide Field Infrared Survey Telescope
	Spectral UV	1.7 m		orbit			2025

Remarks

1. ↑ ^{a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p} "first light"
2. ↑ effective mirror diameter, depending on the elevation angle
3. ↑ End of construction work / 2004 start of scientific work
4. ↑ Initiation
5. ↑ a telescope mirror in test mode

credentials

1. ↑ ⭐ Large Binocular Telescope. In: Sterngucker.de. Retrieved February 22, 2020 (German). 
2. ↑ Visible and Infrared Survey Telescope for Astronomy , on eso.org
3. ↑ Large Astronomical Liquid Mirrors , bibcode : 1993PASP..105..501H
4. ↑ arxiv : astro-ph / 9410008
5. ↑ arxiv : astro-ph / 9406057
6. ^ First Images from the VLT Survey Telescope on eso.org
7. ^ First Light for the JST / T250 Telescope. Retrieved March 30, 2020 .  , on j-pas.org
8. ^ Thai National Observatory (TNO) , at old.narit.or.th, accessed March 30, 2020
9. ↑ UCO Newsletter # 6: October 2009 , on ucodirector.blogspot.com
10. ↑ The Xinglong 2.16-m Telescope: Current Instruments and Scientific Projects , on arxiv.org
11. ↑ The Kitt Peak Virtual Tour 2.1-Meter Telescope , on noao.edu
12. ↑ Abstract: The ASTRA Spectrophotometer IAU Symposium 210 Modeling of Stellar Atmospheres , on people.brandonu.ca
13. ↑ T13 2.0 meter AST , on schwab.tsuniv.edu
14. ↑ The Terskol Observatory in the Northern Caucasus , on astro.bas.bg
15. ^ Faulkes Telescope North , on lcogt.net
16. ^ Faulkes Telescope South , on lcogt.net
17. ↑ Liverpool Telescope 2 - Science, Education, Innovation , on telescope.livjm.ac.uk
18. ↑ Looking far from Wendelstein into space ( Memento from April 8, 2016 in the Internet Archive )
19. ^ Variable Stars in the Original CCD / Transit Instrument Survey , on iopscience.iop.org
20. ↑ The Rothney Astrophysical Observatory , at people.ucalgary.ca
21. ↑ Nikoloa Schmidt (Ed.): Planetary Defense: Global Collaboration for Defending Earth from Asteroids ... Springer, Oxford / New York 2004, ISBN 978-3-03000999-1 ( limited preview in the Google book search).
22. ↑ James Nye: Truckdriver builds world's largest amateur telescope using 900 pound mirror originally meant for Cold War spy satellite , Daily Mail, November 5, 2013
23. ↑ Andrew Fazekas: World's Largest Backyard Telescope , National Geographic, November 8, 2013
24. ↑ bibcode : 2015JATIS ... 1b4001R
25. ↑ https://www.globaltimes.cn/content/1183704.shtml
26. ^ History of Perkins Observatory. Perkins Observatory, accessed March 30, 2020 . 
27. ^ Sayan Solar Observatoryl - ISTP SB RAS . En.iszf.irk.ru. Retrieved March 5, 2012.
28. ↑ High-Tech Telescope for Dangerous Asteroids Detection Launched in Russia , on sputniknews.com
29. ↑ Space debris observation with the new equipments on sayan observatora ( Memento from January 13, 2019 in the Internet Archive ), on aero.tamu.edu
30. ^ The NEO problem: current activities in Russia , on unoosa.org
31. ↑ LNA - Telescópios . Lna.br. July 22, 2011. Retrieved March 5, 2012.
32. ↑ US Naval Observatory Flagstaff - 1.55-m Astrometric Reflector . Nofs.navy.mil. May 24, 2001. Archived from the original on July 26, 2011. Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved March 5, 2012. 
33. ↑ LPL's July 20 open house celebrates lunar missions, birth of lab . Archived from the original on October 10, 2007. Retrieved January 10, 2010.
34. ↑ optical seti photographs . Seti.harvard.edu. Retrieved March 5, 2012.
35. ↑ A Series: The 24 inch Bruce Doublet , on dasch.rc.fas.harvard.edu
36. ↑ EABA. Retrieved March 30, 2020 .  , on oac.unc.edu.ar
37. ^ Mauro Gargano: INAF-OAC »TT1… . Oacn.inaf.it. Retrieved March 5, 2012.
38. ^ New York Times - "NEW HARVARD TELESCOPE .; Sixty-Inch Reflector, Biggest in the World, Being Set Up." April 6, 1905, Thursday Page 9
39. ↑ FLWO 1.5m (60 ") TELESCOPE , on sao.arizona.edu
40. ↑ UMN Infrared Astronomy: Telescopes . Ir.astro.umn.edu. Archived from the original on February 10, 2012. Retrieved March 5, 2012.
41. ↑ Jpl.Nasa.Gov: Asteroid 2011 AG5 - A Reality Check (NASA) . Jpl.nasa.gov. Retrieved March 5, 2012.
42. ↑ NO. 172 The lunar and planetary laboratory and its telescopes , at lpl.arizona.edu
43. ↑ The EOCA 1.52m Telescope . Archived from the original on February 2, 2002.
44. ↑ The 152 cm Telescope . Bo.astro.it. June 8, 1994. Archived from the original on February 7, 2012. Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved March 5, 2012. 
45. ^ The TIRGO observatory . In: ESO Infrared Workshop, 2nd, Garching, West Germany, April 20-23, 1982, Proceedings . August. bibcode : 1982esoi.work ... 45S .
46. ↑ Maidanak observatory . Astrin.uzsci.net. February 26, 2002. Retrieved March 5, 2012.
47. ^ Tug Home . Astroa.physics.metu.edu.tr. Retrieved March 5, 2012.
48. ↑ Nikolai Alexandrovich: RTT150, Russian-Turkish 1.5-m Telescope ( ru ) Hea.iki.rssi.ru. Retrieved March 5, 2012.
49. ↑ Tartu 1.5m Telescope . Aai.ee. Retrieved March 5, 2012.
50. ^ Observatorio Cerro Armazones »1.5-m telescope . Ia.ucn.cl. June 22, 2010. Retrieved March 5, 2012.
51. ↑ GREGOR website at KIS, Freiburg
52. ↑ Mayall: Kitt Peak National Observatory, Tucson, Arizona and Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory, La Serena, Chile. Report 1968–1969 . In: Bulletin of the Astronomical Society . 1, 1969, p. 298. bibcode : 1969BAAS .... 1..298M .
53. ^ Gunma Astronomical Observatory
54. ↑ bibcode : 2002aprm.conf .... 7H
55. ^ University of Vienna - Leopold Figl Observatory for Astrophysics - Instrumentation. Retrieved March 30, 2020 . 
56. ↑ KANATA 1.5-m Optical and Near-Infrared telescope , on hasc.hiroshima-u.ac.jp
57. ↑ bibcode : 1979MNSSA..38 ... 10J
58. ↑ Fifty years of the institute fessenkovastrophysical on images.astronet.ru
59. ↑ "Planetary Researches in Kazakhstan" (accessed November 24, 2010)
60. ↑ 1.5-meter telescope put into operation at Assy-Turgen observatory , on aphi.kz
61. ↑ http://english.ynao.cas.cn/ti/nvst/
62. ↑ Stratospheric Balloons on stratocat.com.ar
63. ↑ SAO Discussing Telescope Partnership with UNAM , on cfa.harvard.edu/
64. ↑ https://aries.res.in/~ilmt/
65. ↑ The 4m Liquid Mirror Telescope Project , on aeos.ulg.ac.be
66. ↑ Wide Field Infrared Survey Telescope , at wfirst.gsfc.nasa.gov

Web links

• An overview of the development over time is given in "Largest Telescopes" .
• List of highest astronomical observatories List of the highest astronomical observatories , in the English Wikipedia
• Overview and backgrounds of the largest observatories in the world sterngucker.de, accessed on August 1, 2012

 Map with all coordinates: OSM | WikiMap