The Telescope

Since the beginning of time, man has been trying to look beyond what the human eye can see. Hans Lippershey, a man from the Netherlands, invented the telescope in 1608. The Dutch government tried to keep the invention a secret, but it didn't work out that way. Galileo heard about it and built his own, more powerful telescope in 1609. A telescope uses a magnifying lens to focus light coming from things at a great distance. Today, astronomers still use telescopes to look at distant stars, planets, and other wonders in space.

There are two main types of telescopes. The first type is called the refracting telescope. This telescope helps you see things at a relatively short distance. This type of telescope is used at tourist sights to help you see scenic views. They were also used in the past by sea captains to help them find their way at sea. A refracting telescope has two lenses at either end of the tube. The largest lens is at the far end of the telescope. Light shines through to the smaller lens, which is called the eyepiece. The image is magnified. The image in a simple refracting telescope is upside down.

The other type of telescope is the reflecting telescope. Reflecting telescopes use mirrors instead of lenses. The mirrors focus the light onto the eyepiece. The reflecting telescope is much more expensive. Some of the bigger reflecting telescopes are made using large mirrors. Oftentimes, they are set high up on mountains so that they will be above the clouds and can give people a clear view.