The one who invented the telescope undoubtedly deserves respect and great gratitude from all modern astronomers. This is one of the greatest discoveries in history. The telescope made it possible to study near space and learn a lot about the structure of the universe.
How it all started
The first attempts to create a telescope are attributed to the great Leonardo da Vinci. There are no patents and references to the working model, but scientists have found the remains of drawings and descriptions of glasses for viewing the moon. Perhaps this is another myth about this unique person.
The device of the telescope came to mind to Thomas Digges, who was trying to create it. He used convex glass and a concave mirror. The invention itself could work, and, as history will show, such a device would be created again. But technically, there was still no means to implement this plan, he failed to create a working model. The production remained unclaimed at that time, and Digges entered the history of astronomy for the description of the heliocentric system.
Thorny path
In what year the telescope was invented, the question is still controversial. In 1609, the Dutch scientist Hans Lippersgay introduced his magnifying invention to the patent office. He called him a telescope. But the patent was rejected due to excessive simplicity, although the spyglass itself tightly came into use. It gained special popularity among sailors, and for astronomical needs it turned out to be rather weak. A step forward has already been taken.
In the same year, the spyglass fell into the hands of Thomas Hariot, he liked the invention, but needed significant refinement of the original sample. Thanks to his work, astronomers were first able to see that the moon has its own relief.
Galileo Galilei
Learning about the attempt to create a special device for increasing stars, Galileo really caught on to this idea. The Italian decided to create a similar design for his research. Mathematical knowledge helped him with the calculations. The device consisted of a tube and lenses inserted into it, made for people with low vision. In fact, this was the first telescope.
Today this type of telescope is called refractory. Thanks to the advanced design, Galileo made many discoveries. He managed to prove that the moon has the shape of a sphere, made out craters and mountains on it. A 20-fold increase allowed us to consider 4 moons of Jupiter, the presence of rings at Saturn and much more. At that time, the device was the most advanced device, but it had its drawbacks. A narrow tube significantly reduced the field of view, and the distortions obtained due to the large number of lenses made the picture blurry.
The Age of Refractor Telescopes
A clear answer to the question of who was the first to invent the telescope will not work, because Galileo only improved the existing pipe for contemplating the sky. Without the idea of Lippersgea, this thought might not have crossed his mind. In subsequent years, there was a gradual improvement of the device. Development significantly impeded the impossibility of creating large lenses.
The impetus for further development was the invention of the tripod. The pipe no longer needed to be held in hands for a long time. This made it possible to lengthen the tube. In 1656, Christian Huygens introduced the device with a 100-fold increase; this was achieved by increasing the distance between the lenses, which were placed in a tube 7 meters long. After 4 years, a telescope with a length of 45 meters was created.
Even a small wind could become a hindrance for research. Attempts were made to reduce image distortion by further increasing the distance between the lenses. The development of telescopes has gone towards lengthening. The longest of them reached 70 meters. This state of affairs greatly complicated the work, and the assembly of the device itself.
New principle
The development of space optics has come to a standstill, but could not continue for a long time. Who invented a fundamentally new telescope? It was one of the greatest scientists of all time - Isaac Newton. Instead of a focusing lens, a concave mirror was used, which eliminated chromatic distortions. Refractor telescopes are a thing of the past, rightfully giving way to reflex telescopes.
The discovery of a telescope operating on the principle of a reflector turned astronomical science upside down. The mirror used in the invention, Newton had to do independently. An alloy of tin, copper and arsenic was used for its manufacture. The first working model continues to be stored, to this day, the London Museum of Astronomy has become its haven. But there was a little problem. Those who invented the telescope for a long time could not create a mirror of perfect shape.
Breakthrough
The year 1720 was a significant date for all astronomical science. It was this year that the opticians managed to create a reflex mirror with a diameter of 15 cm. By the way, Newton’s mirror had a diameter of only 4 cm. It was a real breakthrough, it became much easier to penetrate the secrets of the universe. Miniature telescopes compared with 40-meter giants were only 2 meters long. Space observation has become available to a wider circle of people.
Compact and convenient telescopes could come into fashion for a long time, if not for one “but”. The metal alloy quickly faded and thereby lost its reflective properties. Soon, the mirror design was improved and acquired new features.
Two mirrors
Another improvement device of the telescope is obliged to the Frenchman Cassegrain. He came up with the idea of using 2 glass mirrors instead of one made of a metal alloy. His drawings turned out to be working, but he himself was not able to verify this, the technical equipment did not allow to realize his dream.
Newton and Cassegrain telescopes can already be considered the first modern models. On their basis, the development of telescope engineering continues now. Based on the Cassegrain principle, the modern Hubble Space Telescope was built, which has already brought a lot of information to humanity.
Back to basics
Reflectors could not finally win. Refractors triumphantly returned to the pedestal with the invention of two new grades of glass: crowns - lighter, and flint - heavy. This combination came to the aid of those who invented the telescope without achromatic errors. It turned out to be a talented scientist J. Dollond, and a new type of lens was called in his honor - the dollar lens.
In the 19th century, the refractor telescope survived its rebirth. With the development of technical thought, it became possible to produce lenses of perfect shape and an ever larger size. In 1824, the diameter of the lens was 24 cm, by 1966 it had grown in two cuts, and in 1885 it was already 76 centimeters. Relatively speaking, the diameter of the lens grew by about 1 cm per year. We almost forgot about mirrored devices, while the lenses now grew not in length, but in the direction of increasing diameter. This made it possible to improve the viewing angle and at the same time enlarge the picture.
Great enthusiasts
Amateur astronomers revived reflex installations. One of them was William Herschel, despite the fact that the main type of his activity is music, he made many discoveries. His very first discovery was the planet Uranus. Unprecedented success inspired him to create a larger diameter telescope. Having created a mirror with a diameter of 122 cm in his home laboratory, he managed to examine 2 satellites of Saturn, previously unknown.
The successes of amateurs pushed for new experiments. The main problem of metal mirrors - the rapid turbidity - could not be overcome. This prompted the French physicist Leon Foucault to insert another mirror into the telescope. In 1856, he made a silver-coated glass mirror for a magnifying device. The result exceeded the boldest forecasts.
Another important addition was made by Mikhail Lomonosov. He changed the system so that the mirror began to rotate independently of the lens. This allowed to minimize the loss of light waves and adjust the image. At the same time, Herschel announced a similar discovery.
Now both designs are actively used, and the improvement of optics continues. Modern computers and space technology come into play . The largest telescope on Earth is the large Canary Telescope. But soon his greatness will be overshadowed, projects with mirrors 30 m in diameter against his 10.4 m are already in operation.
Giant telescopes are built on a hill in order to maximally exclude the refraction of a picture by the Earth’s atmosphere. A promising area is the construction of space telescopes. They give the clearest picture with maximum resolution. All this would not have been possible if a spyglass had not been created in the distant 17th century.