Galileo Telescope - Hushed Facts

Galileo Refraction Telescope

A common misconception is that Galileo was the first person to invent the telescope! Apparently, he didn’t invent the telescope. He built upon the foundations of existing telescopes and for how they would work for the future. The telescope or spyglass at the time only increased magnification by up to 3 times, Galileo’s telescope increased magnification by up to 20 times! Allowing us to peer further into the unknown and changing the way we look at the solar system forever. The refraction telescope uses 2 lenses: a convex lens and a concave lens to translate the image to the eye.

The Astrologer

Although Galileo was the inventor of the refraction telescope, an engineer, philosopher, and a polymath he caused a stir with the Catholic Church. By putting forward and hugely controversial theory at the time, the Sun didn’t revolve around the Earth but the Earth revolved around the sun. A theory and insight that would later see him placed under house arrest for announcing his discovery. The establishment had him hushed for facts! (imagine what else has been hushed to silence facts)

Galileo’s Telescope also allowed him to see that the moon wasn’t smooth but was in fact rugged, that Jupiter had moons and that Venus had moon-like cycles of night and day. It could be argued that his revelation altered the way in which society thought from then on. - ie not a flat planet but round.

Rebel

I have found some interesting information on Galileo and I feel I have barely touched the surface or what this man was truly about. No he didn't discover the telescope but he did show the world that we weren't the centre of the universe and that other 'round' (of course) planets had day and night cycles. That telescope was more than just a piece of equipment, it was a third eye which allowed us to peer into the invisible. We can now look deeper into stars, see bacteria and it has revolutionised medicine.

I felt compelled to add this to the blog as It felt insightful.