Whoever 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 or references to a working model, but scientists have found the remains of drawings and descriptions of glasses for looking at the moon. Perhaps this is another myth about this unique person.
The telescope device came to the mind of Thomas Digges, who tried to create it. He used convex glass and a concave mirror. By itself, the invention could work, and, as history will show, such a device will be created again. But technically there were still no means to implement this idea, he did not manage to create a working model. The developments remained unclaimed at that time, and Digges entered the history of astronomy for describing the heliocentric system.
Thorny path
In what year was the telescope invented, questionstill remains controversial. In 1609, the Dutch scientist Hans Lippershey presented his magnifying invention to the patent office. He called it a spyglass. But the patent was rejected due to excessive simplicity, although the spyglass itself came into common use. It gained particular popularity among sailors, but 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 a significant revision of the original sample. Thanks to his work, astronomers were able to see for the first time that the moon has its own relief.
Galileo Galilei
Having learned about the attempt to create a special device for magnifying stars, Galileo really got excited about this idea. The Italian decided to create a similar design for his research. Mathematical knowledge helped him with calculations. The device consisted of a tube and lenses inserted into it, made for people with poor eyesight. In fact, this was the first telescope.
Today this type of telescope is called refractor. Thanks to the improved design, Galileo made many discoveries. He managed to prove that the moon has the shape of a sphere, saw craters and mountains on it. A 20x magnification made it possible to consider 4 satellites of Jupiter, the presence of rings in Saturn and much more. At that time, the device turned out to be the most advanced device, but it had its drawbacks. The narrow tube significantly reduced the viewing circle, and the distortions obtained due to the large numberlenses made the picture blurry.
The era of refracting telescopes
It will not be possible to clearly answer the question of who first invented the telescope, because Galileo only improved the already existing pipe for contemplating the sky. Without Lippershey's idea, this idea might not have occurred to him. In subsequent years, there was a gradual improvement of the device. Development was significantly hampered by the impossibility of creating large lenses.
The invention of the tripod was the impetus for further development. The pipe now did not have to be held in hands for a long time. This made it possible to lengthen the tube. Christian Huygens in 1656 presented an apparatus with a magnification of 100 times, this was achieved by increasing the distance between the lenses, which were placed in a tube 7 meters long. After 4 years, a telescope 45 meters long was created.
Even a slight wind could interfere with research. They tried to reduce the distortion of the picture by further increasing the distance between the lenses. The development of telescopes has gone in the direction of elongation. The longest of them reached 70 meters. This state of affairs made the work very difficult, and the assembly of the device itself.
New principle
The development of space optics has come to a standstill, but it could not continue like this for a long time. Who invented the fundamentally new telescope? It was one of the greatest scientists of all time - Isaac Newton. Instead of a lens for focusing, a concave mirror was used, which made it possible to get rid of chromatic distortions. Refractorytelescopes are a thing of the past, rightfully giving way to reflex telescopes.
The discovery of a telescope operating on the principle of a reflector has turned astronomical science upside down. The mirror used in the invention, Newton had to make himself. For its manufacture, an alloy of tin, copper and arsenic was used. The first working model continues to be stored to this day, the London Museum of Astronomy has become its haven. But there was a small problem. Those who invented the telescope could not create a perfectly shaped mirror for a long time.
Breakthrough
1720 was a significant date for all astronomical science. It was this year that 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 to 40-meter giants were only 2 meters long. Space observation has become available to a larger circle of people.
Compact and handy telescopes could become fashionable for a long time, if not for one "but". The metal alloy quickly dimmed and thereby lost its reflective properties. Soon, the mirror design was improved and acquired new features.
Two mirrors
The next improvement of the telescope device is due 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, buthe himself could not be convinced of this, the technical equipment did not allow him to realize his dream.
Newton and Cassegrain telescopes can already be considered the first modern models. On their basis, the development of telescope construction is now continuing. According to the Cassegrain principle, the modern Hubble space telescope was built, which has already brought a lot of information to mankind.
Back to basics
Reflectors could not finally win. Refractors triumphantly returned to the pedestal with the invention of two new types of glass: crown - lighter, and flint - heavy. This combination came to the aid of the one who invented the telescope without achromatic errors. It turned out to be the talented scientist J. Dollond, and a new type of lens was named after him - the dollar lens.
In the 19th century, the refractor telescope experienced its second birth. With the development of technical thought, it became possible to produce lenses of an ideal shape and ever larger sizes. In 1824, the diameter of the lens was 24 cm, by 1966 it had grown into two cuts, and in 1885 it was already 76 centimeters. Relatively speaking, the diameter of the lens grew by about 1 cm per year. They almost forgot about mirror devices, while lens devices 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 his main occupation is music, he mademany 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 was able to consider 2 satellites of Saturn, previously unknown.
Success amateurs pushed for new experiments. The main problem of metal mirrors - rapid clouding - has not been overcome. This led the French physicist Léon Foucault to the idea of inserting another mirror into the telescope. In 1856, he made a silver-coated glass mirror for a magnifying device. The result exceeded the wildest 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 made it possible 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 technologies come into play. The largest telescope on Earth is the Great Telescope of the Canary Islands. But soon its greatness will be eclipsed, projects with mirrors with a diameter of 30 m against its 10.4 m are already in the works.
Giant telescopes are built on high ground in order to exclude as much as possible the refraction of the image by the earth's atmosphere. A promising direction is the construction of space telescopes. They give the clearest picture with maximum resolution. All this would be impossible ifa spyglass would not have been created in the distant 17th century.
