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Tardis
Telescope
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Telescopes were devices for looking at things from a distance. "spyglass"' was a name sometimes applied to handheld telescopes. (PROSE: The Empire of Glass [+]Andy Lane, Virgin Missing Adventures (Virgin Books, 1995).)

The Doctor's telescope[]

On Dulkis, the Second Doctor was about to view some ruins with a folding telescope when Jamie McCrimmon took it from him. He then returned it after using it to examine the ruins. (TV: The Dominators [+]Norman Ashby, Doctor Who season 6 (BBC1, 1968).)

On another planet, the Second Doctor used a folding telescope to observe a train pull into a station. (COMIC: The Exterminator [+]Roger Noel Cook, TVC comic stories (1967).)

Folding telescope

The Third Doctor views afar with a telescope. (TV: The Mutants [+]Bob Baker and Dave Martin, Doctor Who season 9 (BBC1, 1972).)

On Solos, the Third Doctor used a folding telescope to survey a Solonian village. (TV: The Mutants [+]Bob Baker and Dave Martin, Doctor Who season 9 (BBC1, 1972).)

The Fourth Doctor gave Leela a telescope in Australia. (PROSE: The Bushranger's Story [+]Sarah Groenewegen, Short Trips: Repercussions (Short Trips short stories, 2004).)

On Shontaa, the Fourth Doctor used a telescope to observe the duel between the Zygons Anktra and Kestral. (COMIC: Rest and Re-Creation [+]Warwick Gray, Doctor Who Yearbook comic stories (Marvel Comics UK, 1993).)

On Pluto, the Fourth Doctor used a folding telescope to admire Megropolis One and noted it to be "an engineering achievement". (TV: The Sun Makers [+]Robert Holmes, Doctor Who season 15 (BBC1, 1977).)

The Fourth Doctor and Romana I used a folding telescope to observe Zanak's control centre, the Bridge. The telescope was later confiscated from Romana by a guard, who described it as "a forbidden object". (TV: The Pirate Planet [+]Douglas Adams, Doctor Who season 16 (BBC1, 1978).)

The Fourth Doctor used a telescope to locate the Jagaroth ship in Earth's primordial past. (TV: City of Death [+]David Agnew, Doctor Who season 17 (BBC1, 1979).)

The Fourth Doctor used a telescope to observe the spaceship Hydrax from afar. (TV: State of Decay [+]Terrance Dicks, Doctor Who season 18 (BBC1, 1980).)

The newly-regenerated Seventh Doctor found a telescope in his former incarnation's coat pockets. (PROSE: The Useful Pile [+]Kate Orman, Brief Encounter (1992).)

On Kirith, the Seventh Doctor used a telescope to survey Kirith town and its environs. He then gave the telescope to Miríl. (PROSE: Timewyrm: Apocalypse [+]Nigel Robinson, Virgin New Adventures (Virgin Books, 1991).)

Telescope TARDIS Journey

A telescope observatory in the TARDIS (TV: Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS [+]Steve Thompson, Doctor Who series 7 (BBC One, 2013).)

The Doctor's TARDIS had a telescope observatory. (TV: Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS [+]Steve Thompson, Doctor Who series 7 (BBC One, 2013).)

Other telescopes[]

Early astronomers used telescopes to observe the stars and planets. In Alexandria a group of astronomers saw skyships. (COMIC: Voyager [+]Steve Parkhouse, DWM Comics (Marvel Comics UK, 1984).)

In the late 15th century, Giuliano developed a primitive telescope, which the Fourth Doctor deemed merely adequate. (TV: The Masque of Mandragora [+]Louis Marks, Doctor Who season 14 (BBC1, 1976).)

In the early 17th century, Galileo Galilei invented the telescope. (PROSE: The Empire of Glass [+]Andy Lane, Virgin Missing Adventures (Virgin Books, 1995).)

In the mid-1950s, the Tenth Doctor and Martha Jones visited the Griffith Observatory. The Doctor charged up the observatory's telescope to show Martha the last residual image of Gallifrey from before the Last Great Time War. (COMIC: Quiet on the Set [+]Scott & David Tipton, Prisoners of Time (IDW Publishing, 2013).)

In 1959, Jerome Weismuller used a folding telescope to watch for a satellite. (TV: Delta and the Bannermen [+]Malcolm Kohll, Doctor Who season 24 (BBC1, 1987).)

Moonbase-4 Doctor looks through telescope

The Doctor looks through a telescope on the Moon. (TV: The Moonbase [+]Kit Pedler, Doctor Who season 4 (BBC1, 1967).)

There was a telescope located in the dome area of Moonbase Laika, the Second Doctor and Jack Hobson both used it to observe the Cybermen's approaches to the Moonbase in 2070. (TV: The Moonbase [+]Kit Pedler, Doctor Who season 4 (BBC1, 1967).)

The people of Sarn used telescopes. Peri Brown made use of a fixed telescope in order to search for the Fifth Doctor. (TV: Planet of Fire [+]Peter Grimwade, Doctor Who season 21 (BBC1, 1984).)

The Sixth Doctor used a fixed telescope aboard Voyager's "Death-ship" to follow Astrolabus's escape. (COMIC: Voyager [+]Steve Parkhouse, DWM Comics (Marvel Comics UK, 1984).)

Rezaul Kapoor owned a telescope which he and his sister Anji once used to observe Mars. (PROSE: Fear Itself [+]Nick Wallace, BBC Past Doctor Adventures (BBC Books, 2005).)

Telescope

Eugene Jones watches the skies for alien life. (TV: Random Shoes [+]Jacquetta May, Torchwood series 1 (BBC Three, 2006).)

Eugene Jones owned a telescope, which he used to watch for aliens. (TV: Random Shoes [+]Jacquetta May, Torchwood series 1 (BBC Three, 2006).)

Wilfred Mott owned a telescope, which he frequently used. (TV: Partners in Crime [+]Russell T Davies, Doctor Who series 4 (BBC One, 2008).) In a parallel world, he offered to sell it for extra money, but Donna Noble was firmly against it. (TV: Turn Left [+]Russell T Davies, Doctor Who series 4 (BBC One, 2008).)

On Braktalis, Demimon witnessed the arrival of Skrant's ship while observing the stars through his telescope. (COMIC: The Outsider [+]Steve Moore, DWM backup comic stories (Marvel Comics, 1980).)

On his seventh birthday, Henry van Statten was gifted a telescope by Otto von Donitz. Not approving of such a gift, Edward Van Statten ordered his son to destroy the telescope. Six weeks later, two of Edward's strongmen destroyed the telescope. (PROSE: Dalek [+]Robert Shearman, adapted from Dalek (Robert Shearman), Target novelisations (Target Books, 2021).)

References to telescopes[]

Richard Dunbar told the Fourth Doctor that if he had seen anything like the Krynoid pod before, he must have a very powerful telescope. (TV: The Seeds of Doom [+]Robert Banks Stewart, Doctor Who season 13 (BBC1, 1976).)

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