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Historical event · 1608 CE

The Invention of the Telescope

History of Astronomy

What happened

The refracting telescope appeared in the Netherlands in 1608, with the spectacle-maker Hans Lippershey filing the first known patent application. Within a year Galileo had built his own and turned it to the sky, opening the telescopic era of astronomy.

Knowledge connections

Sources & references

The primary and reference sources this topic draws on.

  • BritannicaEncyclopaedia Britannica

    General reference for the history of astronomy, biographies, and cultural context.