The Telescope
The first recorded and working telescope was made in 1608. This is relatively new technology, and has increased rapidly since then. The first telescope is credited to a man named Hans Lippershey, although there is some speculation about this. Hans Lippershey made a refracting telescope, one of the earlier kinds. A refracting telescope uses a lens as the objective to form the image. This was the first kind of practical telescope.
In 1609, Galileo came out with the next new kind of telescope. It was based off the one Lippershey had made, but had about 3x magnification. Galileo later went on to make a 30x one. This is sort of how science works, someone making an invention, and then someone else taking their idea and making it better. Johannes Kepler did just this, in 1611, when he made a telescope that used a convex lens, unlike Galileo’s concave one.
Into modern times, the Hubble telescope was launched in 1990. It has a 2.4 meter mirror, and can see in the near infrared, near ultraviolet, and visible spectrum. It is still in use today, capturing more and more images. The Hubble space telescope was named after Edwin Hubble.
The age old wanting is for knowledge. What’s out there? How far can we go into the universe? Curiosity has ebbed its way into how we think and perceive the world, and the telescope is helping us understand a few things. There is always more to be discovered, always more missions to send to space, and always more things to see.
Works Cited:
"Hubble Space Telescope." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 16 Feb. 2015. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hubble_Space_Telescope>.
"History of the Telescope." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 16 Feb. 2015. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_telescope>.
"Telescope." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 16 Feb. 2015. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telescope>.
Dear Wolf Whisperer,
ReplyDeleteI love your piece on the telescope! I think it is really interesting how you talked about the first telescope and the went on to talk about the next few that were invented, all the way to the Hubble Telescope that was launched in 1990! Do you know how many times stronger the magnifying on the Hubble is compared to Lippershey's first telescope?
Best Wishes,
Mark M.
Dear Wolf Whisperer,
ReplyDeleteI really like how you added all of those details about the first telescope, the telescope Galileo made, and the Hubble telescope. I thought it was really interesting how you went from the first kind of telescope to the Hubble telescope, it really made a sort of timeline for the telescopes. Do you think the telescope will help the human race reach out to the farthest corner of the universe, possibly find life? Do you want to see the stars some day?
Wink, wink: Whovian :)
Thank you! I personally don't want to see the stars, although they are pretty cool! ;) I think that the human race will reach as far as they can.
Delete-Audrey
Dear Wolf Whisperer,
ReplyDeleteI really liked your blog post. It was very interesting and talked about the history and the modern day telescopes. I also liked how you talked about what each telescope could do. What discoveries did Hans Lippershey make with the first telescope?
-Finn
Dear Wolf Whisperer,
ReplyDeleteI like your blog post about the evolution of telescopes a lot. I thought it was interesting how you noted that Galileo improved on the idea by making the lens magnify more. How is the use of the Hubble telescope benefiting humans today? Why is it relevant?
Sincerely, Graham
Dear Wolf Whisperer,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading your blog post. It was very interesting and intriguing and I liked how it talked about the old and new telescopes. Did Hans Lippershey make any discoveries with the first telescope, or what did he see in space?
Good question. I do not think that Lippershey actually made any discoveries, the fact that he actually made a functional telescope is often questioned.
DeleteHi Wolf Whisperer,
ReplyDeleteI have seen so many photographs of our universe that have been taken by these telescopes and it is good to know where it all started. It is also cool how they improved of each other It reminds me of today and how advanced we have got. Do you ever think we will make a telescope which will discover another life form?
-Advay
Dear Advay,
DeleteThank you for your comment. It really is cool to see how it all started. I do think that at some point we will discover another life form, I think there is something else out there.
Dear Wolf Whisperer,
ReplyDeleteI thought your blog post was good and well written. I liked how you told us all of the telescopes and when they were made. What would make telescopes better?
Bryan
Dear Wolf Whisperer, it was cool to learn about how Galileo wasnt the first person to actually invent the telescope, even though thats usually what people think. How did Galileo figure out how to make such a more superior telescope?
ReplyDelete-maya
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteHey Wolf Whisperer. I think it was really interesting that you talked about science as taking one idea and improving or testing it. I also liked how you described how the telescope kept developing in it's magnification. How do you think the telescope has influenced the knowledge we possess of our universe? I wonder if telescopes will ever have the capacity to do more than just see things from far away? I'd like to hear your thoughts.
ReplyDelete-Tanner
Hi Wolf Whisperer,
ReplyDeleteIt's so interesting what you've put here about telescopes! It's amazing how something as small as a telescope can help you see so far out into space. I was wondering, what is the difference between a telescope with a concave lens, versus one with a convex lens?
-Madeleine
Deletedear wolf whisperer
ReplyDeleteI thought it was really cool about what you said about the telescope. I learned Galileo did not get credit for the telescope when he invented it. What is the difference between concave lens and convex lens
-Luca
Dear Wolf Whisperer,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed your post and thought it was very interesting. I learned about how Galileo wasn't the first one to invent a telescope. Do you think that there will ever be another invention or another version of the telescope that can reach farther into space and discover more?
-Jane
Dear Wolf Whisperer,
ReplyDeleteI thought it was really cool how you had so much specifics about telescopes. What was there to look at the sky before telescopes?
Kai
Dear Wolf,
ReplyDeleteI think that's its really nice that you described were telescopes came from. Have you used a telescope to look up at the sky before.
-Samma
Dear WolfWhisperer,
ReplyDeleteI thought it was really interesting to see the evolution of the telescope. It was really cool to listen and see the differences. Who do you think improved the telescope the best? How was the telescope created? Why was it created?
Lauren Mei
Dear WolfWhisperer,
ReplyDeleteI liked how much detail you included about telescopes, and how the different models of telescopes did different things. I was wondering: What did Galileo discover with his telescope?
Dear WolfWhisperer,
ReplyDeleteI really liked how you explained the evolution of the telescope and the curiosity of scientists. How do you think the telescope is being developed more today?
Sincerely,
Sophia
Dear WolfWhisperer,
ReplyDeleteI liked how you talked about how the telescope is a newer invention because I had always thought it was quite old. I also liked your ending. Do you think that telescopes will continue to improve in the future? How strong do you think they will get?
thanks,
-Emma
Dear WolfWhisperer,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading this post. I like how you asked questions at the end of your post. I liked how you started at the beginning of when the telescope was first heard of and to the hubble telescope. What is your experience with telescopes? Do you know the answers to the questions you asked?
Elise
Wolfwhisperer,
ReplyDeleteI liked how your post was straight to the point right from the beginning, no unnecessary fluff. I was wondering though, where did Lippershey get the idea for the telescope?
-Ibrahim A
Hi Audrey,
ReplyDeleteI really like your piece because it is descriptive and you asked questions. I was wondering how you picked this topic?
Sincerely,
Ramya
Hey Audrey,
ReplyDeleteNice post, I like how you included so much history on the telescope. Why do you think the telescope was so usefull back then?
-Jimmy
Hi WolfWhisperer,
ReplyDeleteI really liked how you went into so much detail about the early models of the telescope. I also really like your pictures and how you asked really thoughtful questions about the telescope in your piece. I was wondering is there a bigger telescope then the Hubble telescope? Why do so many people think Gaileo when they think telescope and not Hans Lippershey?
WolfWhisper,
ReplyDeleteThis is such an important invention! I really appreciate all the wonderful pictures you displayed, as well as the history of the telescope. What is the greatest distance a Hubble telescope can report images back to earth?
Nice article!
-Lion