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Telescope Facts

Telescope Facts
The night sky has been studied by humans for many centuries. The Moon and the stars were often used as a roadmap for traveling and also to tell when the seasons were going to change. There were a lot of different theories on what exactly stars were. The invention of the telescope during the early 1600s helped clear up much confusion. A telescope is an instrument that is used to better observe the sky.
Interesting Telescope Facts:
Galileo is often created as the inventor of the telescope when in fact he was simply the first to use it to study the night sky.
The first telescopes were all refracting telescopes.
The first telescopes were used by merchants to see upcoming trade ships in order to beat out the competition.
Hans Lippershey invented the telescope in 1608.
Galileo's blindness is believed to have been the result of him looking directly at the Sun with his telescope.
Today, there are some online telescopes that allow you to view the night sky in various places from the comfort of your own home.
The Hubble Space Telescope is a telescope that was launched into space over two decades ago and provides us with a lot of data about our galaxy.
The Hubble Space Telescope will remain in orbit until 2014.
The James Webb Space Telescope will replace the Hubble Space Telescope when it ends it orbit.
The first telescopes were made using glass lenses.
Modern telescopes can detect infrared and radio waves.
An observatory is a remote location that houses at least one telescope.
The word telescope is derived from Greek words meaning "far" and "to look and see".
Most all telescopes have the ability to detect some type of electromagnetic waves.
The reflecting telescope was invented by Isaac Newton.


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