Optical instruments have been known since ancient times. Archimedes used lenses to focus light and destroy enemy wooden ships. But telescopes appeared much later, and the reason for this is unknown.
Origins
The system of teachings about optics was created by the Greek scientists Euclid and Aristotle. In fact, optics is the result of studying the structure of the human eye, and the underdevelopment of anatomy in antiquity did not allow the development of optics into a serious science.
In the 13th century, the first glasses appeared based on the knowledge of rectilinear rays. They served a utilitarian purpose - helping craftsmen to examine small details. It is unlikely that this invention was the result of long research - it could have been pure luck, the finding that cut glass can give the effect of enlarging an object when approaching the eye.
The English natural scientist Bacon wrote about Arab instruments that, in theory, could magnify so much that stars could be seen at close range. Da Vinci's genius reached such heights that he designed his glass polishing machines and wrote treatises on photometry. The single-lens telescope, more precisely, its drawings and technical documentation, was thought out to the smallest detail by Leonardo, and the genius himself claimed that in this way an increase of 50 times could be achieved. It is unlikely that such a construction had the right to exist, but the fact is the fact - the first stone in the foundation of a new direction in science was laid.
The first telescope was made in Holland in the late 16th - early 17th centuries (opinions on the exact date differ today) by Z. Jansen in Middelburg in the likeness of a certain Italian telescope. This event was officially documented. The Dutch have shown considerable skill in the production of telescopes. Metzius, Lippersgey - their names were preserved in the chronicles, and their products were presented to the court of dukes and kings, for which the craftsmen were awarded large sums of money. Who was the first is still unknown. The instruments were made from cheap materials, but on a practical, not theoretical basis, as was the case in the past.
Galileo Galilei received a professorship at the University of Padua for introducing his model telescope to the Venice Doge. Its authorship leaves no doubt, since the products are kept now in Florentine museums. His telescopes were able to magnify up to 30 times, while other craftsmen made telescopes with 3 times magnification. He also introduced a practical basis in the doctrine of the heliocentric essence of the solar system, personally observing the planets and stars.
The great astronomer Johannes Kepler, having familiarized himself with Galileo's invention, compiled a detailed description of this invention and carried out appropriate research. It is very likely that he himself was on the verge of inventing the telescope. Why he did not design such an apparatus himself is still unclear. According to his developments and additions, the telescope was made by the German scientist Scheiner. And since the middle of the 17th century, the design of the telescope has become increasingly complex.
Modernity
The discovery of the telescope has shed light on many questions about the universe that have interested scientists for centuries. Today, the devices have reached such heights that people can look at points located millions of kilometers from the Earth. This became possible thanks to the work of many generations and the talent of craftsmen who were eager to touch the stars.
