Invention of the Telescope
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The telescope was invented in the Netherlands in October of 1608. The credit for the invention goes to Hans Lippershey of Middelburg and Jacob Metius of Alkmaar. The government never awarded a patent to either of them because the design was too easy to copy. The most common design found was a wooden tube with a concave and convex lens inside. The first telescopes were only able to magnify three or four times and weren’t powerful enough to study the night sky until Galileo made improvements.
Galileo's Telescopes
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The telescopes being sold in Italy that could only magnify three or four times were not powerful enough to satisfy Galileo. So he taught himself the art of lens-making. He was able to construct a three powered spyglass in June of 1609. In August of 1609, Galileo constructed and presented an eight powered telescope to the Venetian senate. They used it to spot ships hours before they came into the harbor and rewarded Galileo for his contribution. By October of that year, Galileo constructed a telescope that magnified 20 times and was the first to use it to look at the night sky.