1. The History of Telescopes
Garison Houston Hibberts
Gregory Blaise Tuman
Summer Bridge 2013, Appalachian State University

2. History of Telescopes
1608 – Lippershey received a patent for the telescope.
1609 – Galileo created his first telescope.
1611 – The term “telescope” was coined.
1668 – Newton created the first working reflecting telescope.
Chromatic aberration
1990 – The very first space telescope, the Hubble Space Telescope, is launched.

3. The First Telescope (1608)
The first telescopes were refracting telescopes, which use lenses to gather and focus light.
Lippershey was the first person to apply for a patent for the telescope.
He discovered the telescope when he held two pieces of glass apart and realized that this made objects seem closer than they were.
He received a patent for the telescope in 1608.
Lippershey’s telescope magnified objects by a factor of three.

4. Galileo’s Telescope (1609)
Galileo heard of the invention of the telescope and made his own.
His telescope had a much greater magnification than that of Lippershey’s telescope.
He took his telescope to Venice where he showcased its details.
He also showed his telescope to the senate.

5. “Telescope” (1611)
Until 1611, the telescope was called a “Dutch perspective glass.”
The term “telescope” was coined by Prince Frederick Sesi at a reception where Galileo was demonstrating his instruments.

6. Chromatic Aberration
Refracting telescopes have a problem with chromatic aberration, which is a problem that is caused by the different colors of light not focusing to a single point.
Chromatic aberration causes distortion along the edges of objects.

8. Newton’s Reflecting Telescope (1668)
Newton created a reflecting telescope, which uses mirrors to reflect the light instead of lenses.
This telescope’s design was crucial in the production of telescopes that have the ability to magnify objects millions of times.

9. The Hubble Space Telescope (1990)
The original name was “the Large Space Telescope.”
It was renamed after Edwin Hubble.
Edwin Hubble discovered that the Andromeda Nebula lay beyond the Milky Way galaxy in 1924, determining that the universe expanded past this point.
This telescope was launched in 1990, but suffered from a flaw in one of it’s mirrors, rendering all pictures useless.
It was repaired in 1993, and became one of the most famous telescopes of all time.

10. The Hubble Space Telescope - The Pillars of Creation

11. Conclusion The first telescopes were refracting telescopes.
Lippershey invented the telescope in 1608.
Galileo created his first telescope in 1609.
Telescopes were renamed from “Dutch perspective glass” to “telescope” in 1611.
Newton created the first working reflecting telescope in 1668.
Chromatic aberration can be eliminated by using two different types of glass in a lens.
The Hubble Space Telescope was launched in 1990.

12. References
Andersen, Geoff. The Telescope: Its History, Technology, and Future. . Princeton: Princeton University Press, Print.
Freedman, Roger, Robert Geller, and William J. Kaufmann. Universe. W H Freeman & Co, Print.