When was the telescope invented?

The first known telescope dates back to October 1608 in the Netherlands when a patent discussion was taking place. Hans Lipperhey was the first person to file for a patent, but Jacob Metius applied shortly afterward. No patent was awarded due to the relative ease of making a telescope.

The design was very simple and featured one concave lens and one convex lens situated in a tube. This setup only allowed viewers to gain a magnification of three or four times normal human vision. Hans Lipperhey was a craftsman who made eyeglasses. How he came to the idea for a telescope remains unknown.

Telescopes helped prove the heliocentric model of the solar system and marked the beginning of reliance on instrumentation for science rather than human senses.