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Galilean telescope, instrument for viewing distant objects, named after the great Italian scientist Galileo Galilei (1564–1642), who first constructed one in 1609. With it, he discovered Jupiter’s four largest satellites, spots on the Sun, phases of Venus, and hills and valleys on the Moon.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
The story of Galileo's telescopic observations illustrates how a tool for seeing and collecting evidence can dramatically change our understanding of the cosmos. Early telescopes were primarily used for making Earth-bound observations, such as surveying and military tactics.
- Description
- History of Galileo’s Telescope
- What Galileo Observed
- Galileo’s Telescope Today
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Galileo’s telescope was the prototype of the modern day refractor telescope. As you can see from this diagram below, which is taken from Galileo’s own work – Sidereus Nuncius (“The Starry Messenger”) – it was a simple arrangement of lenses that first began with optician’s glass fixed to either end of a hollow cylinder. Galileo had no diagrams to wo...
Naturally, Galileo’s telescope had some historical antecedents. In the late summer of 1608, a new invention was all the rage in Europe – the spyglass. These low power telescopes were likely made by almost all advanced opticians, but the very first was credited to Hans Lippershey of Holland. These primitive telescopes only magnified the view a few t...
One fine Fall evening, Galileo pointed his telescope towards the one thing that people thought was perfectly smooth and as polished as a gemstone – the Moon. Imagine his surprise when found that it, in his own words, was “uneven, rough, full of cavities and prominences.” Galileo’s telescope had its flaws, such as a narrow field of view that could o...
Today, over 400 years later, Galileo’s Telescope still survives under the constant care of the Istituto e Museo di Storia della Scienza(renamed the Museo Galileo in 2010) in Italy. The Museum holds exhibitions on Galileo’s telescope and the observations he made with it. The displays consist of these rare and precious instruments – including the obj...
Learn how Galileo Galilei invented and improved the refractor telescope in 1610, and how he used it to observe the Moon, Jupiter, Saturn, the Sun and Venus. Find out what happened to his telescope after his death and how it is preserved today.
Aug 18, 2023 · Learn how the telescope was invented and used by Galileo and other astronomers to observe the heavens and challenge old theories. Find out how the telescope became a key instrument of the Scientific Revolution and faced opposition from religious authorities.
- Mark Cartwright
Apr 3, 2014 · Learn about Galileo, the Italian scientist who invented the telescope and supported the sun-centered solar system. Find out his achievements, books, controversies and legacy in this comprehensive biography.
Mar 13, 2018 · Learn how Galileo Galilei invented and used the first telescope to make groundbreaking astronomical discoveries. Find out how a Galilean telescope works and what Galileo observed with it.
The unremarkable-looking object is in fact one of the most important artifacts in the history of science: it's one of only two surviving telescopes known to have been made by Galileo Galilei,...
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