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The Story of the Telescope
How humans learned to see farther into space
Grab your cozy blanket and let's journey through time to see how humans learned to zoom in on the stars!
1/5
- 1608
The First Spyglass
A glass maker named Hans placed two curved lenses inside a small tube. Suddenly, faraway trees looked like they were standing right in front of him!
The big idea
By bending light with glass and mirrors, we can bring hidden worlds closer to our eyes.
Fun facts
- β¨ The word 'telescope' comes from old words that mean 'to see far away'.
- β¨ The James Webb Space Telescope uses real, super-thin gold on its mirrors to catch heat light!
- β¨ When Galileo saw Jupiter's moons, it proved for the first time that everything doesn't travel around Earth.
Science words
- Lens β A curved piece of glass that bends light to make tiny or far-off things look bigger.
- Atmosphere β The invisible blanket of air floating all around our planet.
- Orbit β The invisible cosmic path an object follows as it circles around a bigger planet or star.