The invention of the telescope is generally credited to Dutch spectacle maker Hans Lippershey, who filed the first known patent application for a telescope in 1608 in the Netherlands. His design used a convex objective lens and a concave eyepiece lens, providing about 3x magnification
. However, there is some debate and multiple claims regarding the invention. Other Dutch eyeglass makers, such as Zacharias Janssen and Jacob Metius, also independently created early telescopes around the same time
. Despite Lippershey's patent application, no exclusive patent was granted because the knowledge seemed widespread among several makers
. Galileo Galilei did not invent the telescope but was the first to use it systematically for astronomy in 1609, improving on the original design and making significant discoveries such as the moons of Jupiter and lunar surface details
. In summary, Hans Lippershey is most commonly recognized as the inventor of the first practical telescope, with others contributing to its early development and Galileo pioneering its astronomical use.
