|
Name
|
Type
|
Size
(m)
|
Date
|
Location
|
Comment
|
|
Hubble Space Telescope
(HST)
|
Reflecting
|
2.4
|
1990-
|
610km
|
$1.5 billion
|
|
Very Long Telescope
|
Reflecting
|
4 x 8.2
|
|
Chile
|
Equiv. To 16.4m
|
|
Large Binocular Telescope
|
Reflecting
|
2 x 8.4
|
|
US
|
Equiv. To 11.9m
|
|
Hobby-Eberly
|
Reflecting
|
11
|
|
US
|
Not Steerable
|
|
Keck I
|
Reflecting
|
10
|
|
Hawaii
|
1st segmented mirror
|
|
Keck II
|
Reflecting
|
10
|
|
Hawaii
|
Twin of Keck I
|
|
Subaru
|
Reflecting
|
8.3
|
|
Hawaii
|
Japanese
|
|
Gemini North
|
Reflecting
|
8.1
|
|
Hawaii
|
International
|
|
Gemini South
|
Reflecting
|
8.1
|
|
Chile
|
International
|
|
Multiple Mirror Telescope
|
Reflecting
|
6.5
|
|
US
|
Formerly had 6 mirrors
|
|
Zelenchukskaya
|
Reflecting
|
6.0
|
|
Russia
|
First large altazimuth
|
|
Hale
|
Reflecting
|
5.0
|
|
US
|
“200-inch telescope”
|
|
William Herschel
|
Reflecting
|
4.2
|
|
Canary Island
|
British-led
|
|
Cerro Tololo
|
Reflecting
|
4.0
|
|
Chile
|
Interamerican
|
|
Anglo-Australian
|
Reflecting
|
3.9
|
|
Australia
|
British/Australian
|
|
Mayall
|
Reflecting
|
3.8
|
|
US
|
American
|
|
UK Infrared Telescope
|
Infrared
|
3.8
|
1979-
|
Hawaii
|
|
|
NASA
Infrared Telescope Facility
|
Infrared
|
3.0
|
1979-
|
Hawaii
|
|
|
Caltech Submillimeter
|
Infrared
|
10
|
1987-
|
Hawaii
|
|
|
James Clerk Maxwell
|
Infrared
|
15
|
1987-
|
Hawaii
|
|
|
Kuiper Airborne Observatory
|
Infrared
|
0.9
|
1974-1995
|
Lockheed C141
|
|
|
SOFIA
|
Infrared
|
2.5
|
2001-
|
Boeing 747SP
|
|
|
IRAS
|
Infrared
|
0.6
|
1983
|
Polar Orbit
|
|
|
ISO
|
Infrared
|
0.6
|
1995-1998
|
Ellipical
Orbit
|
|
|
Space Infrared Telescope Facility
|
Infrared
|
0.85
|
2001-
|
Solar Orbit
|
|
|
Arecibo
|
Radio
|
305
|
|
Puerto
Rico
|
Single Dish
|
|
Greenbank
|
Radio
|
110 x 100
|
|
US
|
Single Dish
|
|
Effelsberg
|
Radio
|
100
|
|
Germany
|
Single Dish
|
|
Jodrell Bank
|
Radio
|
76
|
|
UK
|
Single Dish
|
|
Parkes
|
Radio
|
64
|
|
Australia
|
Single Dish
|
|
Nobeyama
|
Radio
|
45
|
|
Japan
|
Single Dish
|
|
IRAM
|
Radio
|
30
|
|
Spain
|
Single Dish
|
|
James Clerk Maxwell
|
Radio
|
15
|
|
Hawaii
|
Single Dish
|
|
Swedish-ESO
|
Radio
|
15
|
|
Chile
|
Single Dish
|
|
Kitt Peak Millimeter Wave Telescpe
|
Radio
|
11
|
|
US
|
Single Dish
|
|
Very Long Baseline Array
|
Radio
|
8000 km
|
|
Across US
|
Array/10 dishes
|
|
Australia Telescope
|
Radio
|
320 km
|
|
Australia
|
Array/8 dishes
|
|
MERLIN
|
Radio
|
230 km
|
|
UK
|
Array/7 dishes
|
|
Very Large Array
|
Radio
|
36 km
|
|
US
|
Array/27 dishes
|
|
BIMA
|
Radio
|
2
km
|
|
US
|
Array/10 dishes
|
|
Plateau
de Bure
|
Radio
|
0.4
km
|
|
France
|
Array/5 dishes
|
|
Submillimeter Arrray
|
Radio
|
0.5 km
|
|
Hawaii
|
Array/8 dishes
|
|
Copernicus
|
Ultraviolet
|
0.80
|
1972-1981
|
Low Earth
|
|
|
International Ultraviolet Explorer
|
Ultraviolet
|
0.45
|
1978-1996
|
Geostationary
|
|
|
Astro
|
Ultraviolet
|
0.38
|
1990,1995
|
Low Earth
|
|
|
Rosat
|
Ultraviolet
|
0.58
|
1990-1998
|
Low Earth
|
|
|
Extreme
Ultraviolet Explorer
|
Ultraviolet
|
2 x 0.40
|
1992-
|
Low Earth
|
|
|
SOHO
|
Ultraviolet
|
0.12
|
1995-
|
1.5 million km
|
|
|
Uhuru
|
X-Ray
|
0.28
|
1970-1973
|
|
US
|
|
Ariel V
|
X-Ray
|
0.17
|
1974-1980
|
|
UK
|
|
HEAO-1
|
X-Ray
|
1.00
|
1977-1979
|
|
US
|
|
Einstein Observatory
|
X-Ray
|
0.58
|
1978-1981
|
|
US
|
|
EXOSAT
|
X-Ray
|
2 x 0.3
|
1983-1986
|
|
European
|
|
Ginga
|
X-Ray
|
0.63
|
1987-1991
|
|
Japan
|
|
Kvant-1
|
X-Ray
|
0.25
|
1987-1999
|
|
Russia
|
|
Rosat
|
X-Ray
|
0.8
|
1990-1999
|
|
US/Germany
|
|
Chandra X-Ray Observatory
|
X-Ray
|
1.2
|
1999-
|
|
US
|
|
X-Ray Multi-Mirror Mission
|
X-Ray
|
3
x 0.7
|
2000-
|
|
European
|
|
Vela
5A, 5B
|
Gamma Ray
|
|
1969-1979
|
High Earth
|
|
|
SAS-2
|
Gamma Ray
|
|
1972-1973
|
Low Earth
|
|
|
COS-B
|
Gamma Ray
|
|
1975-1982
|
Elliptical
|
|
|
HEAO-3
|
Gamma Ray
|
|
1979-1981
|
Low Earth
|
|
|
Granat/Sigma
|
Gamma Ray
|
|
1989-
|
Elliptical
|
|
|
Compton Gamma Ray Obsevatory
|
Gamma Ray
|
|
1991-
|
Low Earth
|
|
|
Integral
|
Gamma Ray
|
|
2001-
|
Elliptical
|
|
|
Laser Interferometry Space Antenna (LISA)
|
Laser
|
|
|
|
Detects Gravitational Waves
|
|
Super-Kamiokande Neutrino Telescope
|
Neutrino
|
|
|
|
|
