Telescopes

The history of telescopes began over 400 years ago with simple designs that magnified objects, much like modern binoculars.

The earliest telescopes, called refracting telescopes, used lenses to bend light and magnify distant objects.

Then, in the 1670s, Issac Newton invented the reflecting telescope, which allow telescopes to be built much larger. This design enables us to study faint and distant objects, like faraway galaxies and nebulae.

Over time, telescopes evolved further to help us see beyond visible light. For example, Radio telescopes collect radio waves from space using massive dish-shaped antennas, often built into the ground to support their size.

To go even further, we sent telescopes into space. Space telescopes, free from atmospheric interference, can detect faint or distant objects that ground-based telescopes might miss.

The Hubble Space Telescope, orbiting above Earth’s atmosphere, captures clear images of planets, stars, nebulae, and distant galaxies.