July 14, 2009 | 24 comments

10 Telescopes That Changed Our View of the Universe [Slide Show]

Historic telescopes through the ages, from Galileo to the 21st century

By Saswato R. Das

< Prev 1 of 10 Next >

CLICK TO ENLARGE + The Franklin Institute, Philadelphia

GALILEO'S TELESCOPE:

Galileo's instrument was a simple affair, a refractor telescope that had two lenses at the ends of two tubes, one of which slid into the other. Using it, he first observed the moon in the fall of 1609, then the moons of Jupiter, and sunspots. He also resolved faint nebular patches into stars. By March 1610, he had published Sidereus Nuncius (Starry Messenger), the landmark treatise that documented his observations and his explanations for them. Galileo postulated that there are mountains and plains on the moon, noted that he could see 10 times as many stars through his telescope as with the naked eye, and he saw the moons of Jupiter and deduced that they orbit the planet.

< Prev 1 of 10 Next >

More from this In-Depth Report

Features Galileo's Contradiction: The Astronomer Who Riled the Inquisition Fathered Two Nuns
Features An Astronomer's Astronomer: Kepler's Revolutionary Achievements in 1609 Rival Galileo's
Observations What Galileo and Scientific American have in common: Honored Italian heritage
From the In-Depth Report Galileo and the International Year of Astronomy

More to Explore

Related Article
Slide Show: 10 Telescopes That Changed Our View of the Universe

Read Comments (24) | Post a comment

You Might Also Like

Discuss This Article

Click here to submit your comment.

VIEW:



	Email:
	Name:
	Address:
	Address 2:
	City:
	State:

Subscription Center

Editor's Pick

Adapting to the Freshwater CrisisForward-thinking experts are getting a better handle on the growing global water shortage and coming up with innovative approaches to ensuring the security, safety and sustainability of this resource