1.15. Technology and Science http://www.ck12.org
a Dutch lens maker named Hans Lippershey. He and his telescope are pictured inFigure1.15. Lippershey used
scientific knowledge of the properties of light and lenses to design his telescope.
FIGURE 1.15
Hans Lippershey is credited with making
the first practical telescope in 1608. He is
pictured here using his invention to view
distant objects. Officials of the Dutch
government recognized the importance of
Lippershey’s invention. They gave him a
generous sum of money for his design.Lippershey’s new technology quickly spread all over Europe. Almost immediately, the Italian scientist and inventor
Galileo started working to improve Lippershey’s design. In just two years, Galileo had made a more powerful
telescope. It could make very distant objects visible to the human eye. TheFigure1.16 shows Galileo demonstrating
his powerful telescope. It appears to be focused on the moon. Galileo started using his telescope to explore the night
sky. He soon made some remarkable discoveries. He observed hills and valleys on the moon and spots on the sun.
He discovered that Jupiter has moons and that the sun rotates on its axis. With his discoveries, Galileo was able
to prove that the sun, not Earth, is at the center of the solar system. This discovery played an important role in the
history of science. It led to a scientific revolution that gave birth to modern Western science. And it all began with
technology!
FIGURE 1.16
Galileo is shown here presenting his tele-
scope to government leaders. They must
have been impressed. They gave him a
life-long job as a university professor and
doubled his salary.