This artifact, called the Herschel Telescope, is an Earth-Based Tool of Observation. Telescopic observation taught astronomers more about the nature of the Universe; unveiling scientific truths such as that the Earth was not the center of the Universe, and contributed to the development of a more accurate map of the moon. The picture at the top of the page was shot looking down the tube of the telescope.

The telescope is named after William Herschel, an 18th century astronomer who helped improve the design of the telescope so that astronomers could look deeper into the Universe. Herschel created this 20- foot telescope and while it wasn't his largest, it was his favorite. He began using it in 1783, and with it observed thousands of star clusters and nebulae for the first time. While many of his observations were from his home country of England, he also went to South Africa in order to map the entire night sky.

Caroline Herschel, the sister of Sir William Herschel, recorded the observations of the Universe made from his telescopes. The work she accomplished alongside her brother during his life and after his death, recording the various nebulae and stars he had observed, led to the British Royal Astronomical Society in 1828 to give her a gold medal. This honor was not given to another woman for another 150 years. To learn more about Caroline Herschel, read this article in the Smithsonian Magazine.

The photo above illustrates that this telescope was significantly larger than people. In fact, the Herschel Telescope was 20 feet long. That's about as tall as a giraffe! The bigger the telescope, the more light it's able to collect. This is important because with the ability to collect more light comes the ability to see fainter more distant objects.