when was the telescope invented

The telescope was invented in 1608 in the Netherlands. The earliest known patent application for the telescope was filed on October 2, 1608, by Hans Lippershey, a spectacle maker from Middelburg. His design was a simple tube with a convex objective lens and a concave eyepiece lens, providing a magnification of about three times. Around the same time, other Dutch instrument makers, including Jacob Metius, also applied for patents for similar devices. Although the patent was not awarded due to the knowledge already being widespread, Lippershey's design spread quickly throughout Europe. The invention of the telescope opened the way for Galileo Galilei, who in 1609 built his own improved version and began astronomical observations with it. Isaac Newton later built the first reflecting telescope in 1668, which used mirrors instead of lenses. Thus, the telescope as an instrument was invented in 1608, with Hans Lippershey usually credited for the earliest recorded design.