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17th-Century Galilean Telescope

Type Object Region Europe Time 1609–1699

The Galilean telescope combined a convex objective with a concave eyepiece; after its 1609 appearance it transformed astronomical observation, and by…

Timeline

  1. 1609–1610Padua and Venice · VenetoGalileo improved the refracting telescope design arriving from the Netherlands, observing lunar craters and Jupiter's moons and establishing the astronomical value of the Galilean optical configuration.
  2. 1641–1650Observatories and workshops across Europe · BritainIn the 1640s the Galilean telescope became a standard observational tool, with improved lens-grinding precision, widely used for planetary observation, calendar reform, and celestial navigation at sea.

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