telescope

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  • Period: 470 BCE to 390 BCE

    Mozi Records Observations on Concave Mirrors

    Chinese philosopher Mozi recorded the observations that concave mirrors can focus the rays from the sun.
  • 424 BCE

    Aristophanes Records that Glass Bends the Rays of the Sun

    Greek Playwright and theater director Aristophanes recorded that glasses of many shapes that are filled with water can bend rays of the sun.
  • Period: 300 BCE to 201 BCE

    Euclid Writes on Reflection & Refraction

    Greek mathematician Euclid first wrote scientific overview of sun rays, reflection and refraction. His work was expanded 5 centuries later by Ptolemy.
  • Period: 900 to 1100

    Arab Scientists Examine Mirrors & Lenses

    Several Arab scientists started examining the properties of light, mirrors, lenses and more. Ibn al-Haytham's “Book of Optics” arrives in Europe, and after translation to Latin, it becomes the foundation of modern European exploration of lenses.
  • Period: 1266 to 1299

    First Spectacles

    First spectacles are invented.
  • Period: 1570 to 1579

    Discovery of Lenses' Ability to "zoom in"

    Several reports are made of the abilities of lenses to make “distant things look as they are near”.

  • Hans Lippershey Applies for Telescope Patent

    German-Dutch spectacle-maker Hans Lippershey applies his patent on what is today known as telescope. He managed to beat two other Dutch scientists (Jacob Metius and Zacharias Janssen) who also tried to register their own inventions.

  • Galileo Improves Telescope

    Famous astronomer, physicist, engineer and mathematician Galileo Galilei managed to improve the basic telescope design of Hans Lippershey, calling it “perspicillum”. He used his telescope to make many significant astronomical discoveries.

  • First Telescope Focussed on Astronomy

    Johannes Kepler provided detailed scientific explanation about the inner workings of telescopes, optics and light rays. He created first telescope that was focused only on astronomy (it had two convex lenses).

  • Term "telescope" coined

    The name “telescope” is created by Greek mathematician Giovanni Demisiani, during his visit at Italian science academy “Accademia dei Lincei” that hosted one of the Galileo Galilei’s telescopes. This word was coined from the words “tele” (far) and “skopein” (to look, or to see).
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    Telescope Development Accelerated

    Large amount of scientific effort is focused on further development of telescopes, including the inventions that were provided by Christian Huygens, James Gregory, Isaac Newton, Laurent Cassegrain and Robert Hooke.
  • Period: to

    Parabolic Mirrors

    English mathematician John Hadley managed to significantly improve telescopes by working on parabolic mirrors.
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    Telescope advancements

    Telescopes are further more improved with the efforts of James Short, Chester Moore Hall, John Dollond and Jesse Ramsden.

  • Yerkes Observatory

    Yerkes Observatory builds largest telescope of its time – 101.6cm refractor telescope.

  • Ritchey-Chrétien telescope

    One of the most famous telescope designs is created - Ritchey-Chrétien telescope.

  • First telescope launched into space

    First telescope launched into space onboard probe Uhuru. This was also first gamma-ray telescope ever to be used.

  • Hubble Telescope

    Hubble telescope launched into Earth’s orbit. It quickly became one of the most famous and most important telescopes ever to be built.

  • Kepler Telescope

    Kepler telescope launched in space, with goal of locating planets that are orbiting our neighbouring stars. It has 2.4m diameter mirror.

  • James Webb Space Telescope

    NASA announces plans to launch in 2018 the most ambitious space telescope of all time. James Webb Space Telescope will operate in deep space and have staggering 6.5m diameter mirror.