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New Mirror for Old ’Scope Revives Neglected Technology

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Dan Drollette

The restoration of a 150-year-old telescope at an Irish castle may help bring back a largely forgotten way to see the stars. Consequently, tomorrow's professional observatories may use telescope mirrors made of metal instead of glass. When William Parsons, third Earl of Rosse, built his 17-m Leviathan telescope at Birr Castle in 1845, he used a 72-in. mirror made from a polished bronze alloy. Although the mirror tarnished quickly in the Emerald Isle's humid climate, Parsons used it to make the first observations of the spiral nature of galaxies, as well as the first drawings of the Crab...Read full article

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