A telescope is an instrument designed for the observation of remote objects and the collection of electromagnetic radiation. The earliest known telescopes are credited to three individuals, Hans Lippershey and Zacharias Janssen, spectacle-makers in Middelburg, and Jacob Metius of Alkmaar also known as Jacob Adriaanszoon (see History of telescopes). “Telescope” (from the Greek tele = ‘far’ and skopein = ‘to look or see’; teleskopos = ‘far-seeing’) was a name invented in 1611 by Galileo Galilei for his version of the device he based on Hans Lippershey’s instrument[1]. “Telescope” usually refers to optical telescopes, but there are telescopes that operate in other regions of the electromagnetic spectrum.

Types of telescope

The name “telescope” covers a wide range of instruments and is difficult to define. They all have the attribute of collecting electromagnetic radiation so it can be studied or analyzed in some manner. The most common type is the optical telescope. Other types also exist and are on the website below.

There is also a site on how a telescope works