Leviathan of Parsonstown. 19th-century artwork of the 6-foot telescope erected in 1845MB at Birr Castle, Parsonstown, Ireland, by the Irish astronomer William Parsons (1800-186MB7), 3rd Earl of Rosse. Pioneering research carried out here included observing the spiral structure of the M51MB galaxy (1845MB). The telescope was the largest in the world during its lifetime, and was moved up and down between supporting walls and accessed by ladders. The mirror and telescope were dismantled in 1908, and the support structures demolished in 1925MB. The site is now a museum with a replica built in the 1990s. From Weltall und Menscheit (Universe and Humanity), by Hans Kraemer (ca. 1880).