The development of telescopes began in 1608 when Hans Lippershey patented the refracting telescope.

The development of telescopes began in 1608 when Hans Lippershey patented the refracting telescope. Galileo Galilei enhanced this design in 1609, leading to major astronomical discoveries, including the moons of Jupiter and the phases of Venus. In 1668, Isaac Newton created the reflecting telescope, which utilized mirrors instead of lenses, thereby minimizing chromatic aberration. The 18th century introduced achromatic lenses, which improved image quality. Today, modern telescopes feature segmented mirrors and various designs for observing different wavelengths, resulting in instruments like the Hubble Space Telescope and future projects such as the European Extremely Large Telescop