Antique Harbor Master Telescope 60"

Although by the mid-1700s the marine telescope, or spyglass, had become somewhat of a fashion accessory for Europe’s elite, its greatest uses came in astronomy and sailing. Massive antique brass telescopes were being designed to better view the stars, while more accommodating sizes were developed for military and naval use. During this time the ship telescope became one of the five essential tools of sailing. Along with the hourglass, sextant, globe, and compass, antique brass telescopes allowed sailors to navigate the open ocean. Often it was one sailor’s job to stand with the telescope and scan the horizon for storms, glaciers, or any other potentially harmful natural occurrence. Antique brass telescopes were also used in surveying the stars and plotting courses, in conjunction with the sextant to figure latitude and the chronometer to figure longitude. This aided not only in deciding the best and fastest possible routes, but in creating the most accurate maps the world had ever seen. In hydrography, or mapping the sea, the telescope became a powerful tool in nautical surveying and charting, while simultaneously allowing sailors to collect some of the earliest data on star positions across the seas.