Invention History of the telescope

notes on hans lipperhey s unsuccessfully requested patent on telescope in 1608

the first record of telescope comes netherlands in 1608. in patent filed middelburg spectacle-maker hans lippershey states general of netherlands on 2 october 1608 instrument seeing things far away if nearby . few weeks later dutch instrument-maker, jacob metius applied patent. states general did not award patent since knowledge of device seemed ubiquitous dutch government awarded lippershey contract copies of design.

the original dutch telescopes composed of convex , concave lens—telescopes constructed way not invert image. lippershey s original design had 3x magnification. telescopes seem have been made in netherlands in considerable numbers after date of invention , , rapidly found way on europe.

claims of prior invention

reproduction of 1 of 4 optical devices zacharias snijder in 1841 claimed telescopes built zacharias janssen. actual function , creator has been disputed on years.

in 1655 dutch diplomat william de boreel tried solve mystery of invented telescope. had local magistrate in middelburg follow on boreel s childhood , adult recollections of spectacle maker named hans remembered inventor of telescope. magistrate contacted unknown claimant, middelburg spectacle maker johannes zachariassen, testified father, zacharias janssen invented telescope , microscope 1590. testimony seemed convincing boreel, recollected zacharias , father, hans martens, must have been remembered. boreel s conclusion zacharias janssen invented telescope little ahead of spectacle maker, hans lippershey, adopted pierre borel in 1656 book de vero telescopii inventore. discrepancies in boreel s investigation , zachariassen s testimony (including zachariassen misrepresenting date of birth , role in invention) has led historians consider claim dubious. janssen claim continue on years , added on zacharias snijder in 1841 presenting 4 iron tubes lenses in them claimed 1590 examples of janssen s telescope , historian cornelius de waard s 1906 claim man tried sell broken telescope astronomer simon marius @ 1608 frankfurt book fair must have been janssen.

in 1682, minutes of royal society in london robert hooke noted thomas digges 1571 pantometria, (a book on measurement, partially based on father leonard digges notes , observations) seemed support english claim invention of telescope, describing leonard having fare seeing glass in mid 1500s based on idea roger bacon. thomas described proportional glasses duly situate in convenient angles, not discovered things far off, read letters, numbered pieces of money coin , superscription thereof, cast of friends of purpose upon downs in open fields, 7 miles off declared hath been done @ instant in private places. comments on use of proportional or perspective glass made in writings of john dee (1575) , william bourne (1585). bourne asked in 1580 investigate diggs device queen elizabeth s chief advisor lord burghley. bourne s best description of it, , writing seemed consist of peering large curved mirror reflected image produced large lens. idea of elizabethan telescope has been expanded on years, including astronomer , historian colin ronan 1990s explorations concluding reflecting/refracting telescope built leonard digges between 1540 , 1559. backwards reflecting telescope have been unwieldy, needed large mirrors , lens work, observer had stand backwards @ upside down view, , bourne noted had narrow field of view making unsuitable military purposes. optical performance required see details of coins lying in fields, or private activities 7 miles away, seems far beyond technology of time , perspective glass being described far simpler idea, originating bacon, of using single lens held in front of eye magnify distant view.

a 1959 research paper simon de guilleuma claimed evidence had uncovered pointed french born spectacle maker juan roget (died before 1624) possible builder of telescope predated hans lipperhey s patent application. inventing telescope-like devices.

spread through europe

lippershey s application patent mentioned @ end of diplomatic report on embassy holland kingdom of siam sent siamese king ekathotsarot: ambassades du roy de siam envoyé à l excellence du prince maurice, arrivé à la haye le 10 septemb. 1608 (embassy of king of siam sent excellency prince maurice, arrived @ hague on 10 september 1608). report issued in october 1608 , distributed across europe, leading experiments other scientists, such italian paolo sarpi, received report in november, , english mathematician , astronomer thomas harriot, used six-powered telescope summer of 1609 observe features on moon.

19th-century painting depicting galileo galilei displaying telescope leonardo donato in 1609.

the italian polymath galileo galilei in venice in june 1609 , there heard of dutch perspective glass means of distant objects appeared nearer , larger. galileo states solved problem of construction of telescope first night after return padua venice , made first telescope next day fitting convex lens in 1 extremity of leaden tube , concave lens in other one. few days afterwards, having succeeded in making better telescope first, took venice communicated details of invention public , presented instrument doge leonardo donato, sitting in full council. senate in return settled him life in lectureship @ padua , doubled salary.

portrait of galileo galilei.

galileo spent time improving telescope, producing telescopes of increased power. first telescope had 3x magnification, made instruments magnified 8x , finally, 1 meter long 37mm objective (which stop down 16mm or 12mm) , 23x magnification. last instrument began series of astronomical observations in october or november 1609, discovering satellites of jupiter, hills , valleys on moon, phases of venus , observed spots on sun. galileo noted revolution of satellites of jupiter, phases of venus, rotation of sun , tilted path spots followed part of year pointed validity of sun centered copernican system on other earth centered systems such 1 proposed ptolemy. galileo s instrument first given name telescope . name invented greek poet/theologian giovanni demisiani @ banquet held on april 14, 1611 prince federico cesi make galileo galilei member of accademia dei lincei. word created greek tele = far , skopein = or see ; teleskopos = far-seeing .

these observations, galileo s improvement of instrument, led adoption of name of galilean telescope these forms of telescope employed negative lens.