19 Facts About Telescopes That Kids Will Absolutely Love

Joan Agie
Oct 06, 2023 By Joan Agie
Originally Published on Jan 17, 2022
A very interesting fact about telescopes is they are one of the strongest telescopes, which can see till million light-years.
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Age: 3-18
Read time: 3.6 Min

Celestial objects have always remained the key to human curiosity, we designed our first telescope way back and the modern telescope that we use today is miles ahead of the earlier telescope which was used by professional astronomers.

Early telescopes weren't so potent in providing information about outer space; the first telescopes helped in the discovery of Jupiter satellites. Today's amateur telescopes also help greatly in findings of outer space although the appearance shows faint objects.

Astronomy was given wings after the introduction of the hooker telescopes. The same telescope helped scientists to realize that we have neighboring galaxies, and that the universe is anything but a constant body.

The expansion of the universe was understood better through the Hooker telescope. Another excellent creation is the Hubble space telescope, the Hubble telescope was launched in the year 1990 into the low earth orbit.

Facts About Telescopes

The first telescope was found in the year 1606 and it helped us see the rings of Saturn and the milky way as well.

  • Today celestial objects can be seen by normal telescopes as well, the night sky can be seen deeply through the refracting telescope.
  • The optical telescope is also another great invention that was invented by Lippershey.
  • When it comes to the reflecting telescope they have elongated focal paths, which helps the light to enter. These smaller lenses enhance the image quality.
  • The Hubble Space Telescope is one of the most well-known telescopes in the world today.
  • The Space Shuttle sent this telescope into orbit around the Earth in 1990.
  • Because the Hubble is outside of the Earth's atmosphere, it can see into space without being illuminated by the sun. This has allowed it to capture some incredible images of distant stars and galaxies.
  • Sea merchants and the military were among the first to employ telescopes.

History Of Telescopes

Earlier telescopes were seen more like magnifying devices that could help see the sky. The first kind of telescope that was invented was the Newtonian telescope also known as the reflector telescope.

  • There are three direct steps that help in the lens making of a telescope. The initial step is cutting, followed by grinding and later on polishing. Different kinds of polishing and grinding machines are used for this purpose.
  • This process is the key behind the high magnifying powers of the lenses of a telescope.
  • A Hubble telescope can see as much as 7,000 miles, making it one of the most powerful telescopes.
The reflecting telescope was the first telescope which was made, it uses its mirrors to focus or gather light towards the eyepiece, making it easier to see objects.

Uses Of Telescopes

There are several uses of a telescope, we know a lot about space, thanks to the invention of a telescope. An optical telescope is capable of focusing light on distant objects, which the human eye can never see. An optical telescope takes into use refracting and reflecting using mirrors which it has.

  • Galileo Galilei invented the telescope. The main aim behind the invention of a telescope by Galilei was to observe the moon and Jupiter more closely.
  • These telescopes are known as space telescopes which help us get a better view of the galaxies and the space atmosphere.
  • The Hubble space telescope can see over long distances for around several billion light-years.
  • In today's telescopes the trend of looking through the eyepiece is gone, remotely looking through the computers is much more effective.

Impact Of Telescopes

The impact of telescopes on the world is huge, they have opened our eyes to a big and ever-expanding universe, teaching us more about the galaxies.

  • Big telescopes helped to detect a number of rays that come from the sun and the other stars. The Compton gamma-ray observatory was released in space for the very same reason. The same can be said about the Hubble space telescope.
  • Due to the help of these telescopes, astronomy became much more predictable.
  • The mountains and craters on the moon were also discovered through the help of a telescope.
  • Earth's place in the cosmos is also understood through the invention of the telescope.
  • Producing clearer pictures of the universe and the cosmos played a big part in understanding the position of the earth in the solar system.

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Written by Joan Agie

Bachelor of Science specializing in Human Anatomy

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Joan AgieBachelor of Science specializing in Human Anatomy

With 3+ years of research and content writing experience across several niches, especially on education, technology, and business topics. Joan holds a Bachelor’s degree in Human Anatomy from the Federal University of Technology, Akure, Nigeria, and has worked as a researcher and writer for organizations across Nigeria, the US, the UK, and Germany. Joan enjoys meditation, watching movies, and learning new languages in her free time.

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