[sotd] 400th Anniversary of the Invention of the Telescope [July 8, 2009]
- From: "Site of the Day" <amholm@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: sotd@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Wed, 08 Jul 2009 09:57:28 -0300
Site of the Day for Wednesday, July 8, 2009
400th Anniversary of the Invention of the Telescope
In honor of 2009, The International Year of Astronomy, today's site, from the
Philippus Lansbergen Public Observatory in The Netherlands, offers an
interesting
exhibit on the origins of the telescope. Gentle Subscribers may be surprised to
learn that Galileo was not the first inventor of the remarkable device which
was to
rock the scientific and religious convictions of the seventeenth century.
"The telescope has had a profound influence on the history of science and on the
philosophy of life since the 17th century. ... the Dutch spectacle-maker
Johannes
(Hans) Lipperhey from Middelburg ... demonstrated his invention to Prince
Maurice
in The Hague. Despite enthusiasm for his invention and several orders to build
such
devices for customers, no patent was awarded to Lipperhey, because his
instrument
could have already been known to others." - from the website
The presentation details the first construction of "a certain instrument to see
far" in Holland in 1608 and offers an informative Frequently Asked Questions
guide,
outlining the historical background on this significant scientific device.
Included
in the exhibit are images from woodcuts illustrating early examples of lenses,
along with notes on how they were produced. Additional features provide
historical
material on the scientific figures involved in the development of the telescope
in
The Netherlands -- Lansbergen, Lipperhey and Janssen, along with a brief look at
the more famous Italian astronomer, Galileo.
Zoom over to the site for a look at the history of the telescope at:
http://www.inventionofthetelescope.eu/400y_telescope/component/option,com_frontpage/
Itemid,1/lang,en/
If the above URL wraps in your e-mail client, enter it all on one line in your
browser or use this TinyURL:
http://tinyurl.com/ctnnku
A.M. Holm
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