Did Galileo Invent the Telescope?

Did Galileo Invent the Telescope?

No. This is one of those things that "everyone knows," yet is absolutely incorrect. I'll talk about the reason for this mistake in a moment. First, let's give credit to the person who really invented the telescope. Who invented the telescope?

I don't know. No one does, really. However, there is some good evidence and many people believe that Leonard Digges invented both the reflecting and refracting telescopes. He was a well known mathematician and surveyor as well as a great populariser of science. His son, the famous English astronomer, Thomas Digges, posthumously published one of his father's manuscripts, "Pantometria," and wrote of the telescopes used by his father. Political problems may have prevented Leonard from capitalizing on his invention.

n 1608, Dutch eyeglass maker, Hans Lippershey offered a new device to the government for military use. This new device made use of two glass lenses in a tube to magnify distant objects. He may not have invented the telescope (in fact, at least two other Dutch opticians were also working on the idea at the time), but Hans Lippershey has been credited with its invention. He, at least, applied for the patent for it first.

Now, why do people think of Galileo Galilei as the inventor of the telescope?

As soon as he heard about the wonderous device coming out of the Netherlands, Galileo Galilei was fascinated. He began constructing telescopes, himself, before ever seeing one in person. By 1609, he was ready for the next inevitable step. He began using telescopes to observe the heavens, becoming the first astronomer to do so.

While Galileo Galilei did not invent the telescope, he made great improvements in the technology. His first construction was a three power instrument, which he quickly improved to eight, twenty and then thirty power. With this new tool, he found mountains and craters on the moon, discovered that the Milky Way was composed of stars, and discovered the four largest moons of Jupiter.