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Day or night telescope
This achromatic telescope has a mahogany barrel and a single brass draw tube. The other brass fittings include a sliding eyepiece cover, a sliding sun shade and a mount for a tripod or stand. A cord and sling for carrying the telescope also survive. The words 'DAY OR NIGHT' inscribed on the draw tube indicate that the telescope was intended for use in all light conditions.
The maker's name is also inscribed on the draw tube as 'DOLLAND LONDON'. This may either be a misspelling of Dollond, one of the leading makers and retailers of optical instruments in London, or it may have been an attempt to pass off the telescope as being by Dollond, but without the exact use of the Dollond name.
The telescope once belonged to Captain Matthew Flinders (1774-1814), the pioneering explorer and one of the first to link the deviation of the ship's compass to the iron used in the ship's construction.
The maker's name is also inscribed on the draw tube as 'DOLLAND LONDON'. This may either be a misspelling of Dollond, one of the leading makers and retailers of optical instruments in London, or it may have been an attempt to pass off the telescope as being by Dollond, but without the exact use of the Dollond name.
The telescope once belonged to Captain Matthew Flinders (1774-1814), the pioneering explorer and one of the first to link the deviation of the ship's compass to the iron used in the ship's construction.
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Object Details
| ID: | NAV1690 |
|---|---|
| Collection: | Astronomical and navigational instruments |
| Type: | Day or night telescope |
| Display location: | Not on display |
| Creator: | Dollond & Aitchison |
| Date made: | circa 1800 |
| Credit: | National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London |
| Measurements: | Overall: 899 mm x 90 mm x 64 mm;890 x 60 x 60 mm extended; 508 x 60 x 60 mm closed |
| Parts: | Day or night telescope |