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Who invented the first refracting optical telescope?
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Telescope
Aerial view of the Keck Observatory's twin domes, which are opened to reveal the telescopes. Keck II is on the left and Keck I on the right.
The invention of the refracting optical telescope is traditionally credited to Hans Lippershey, a spectacle maker from the Netherlands, in 1608. While Lippershey applied for a patent for his "looker," or telescope, two other individuals, Jacob Metius and Sacharias Jansen, also claimed invention. The States General of the Netherlands decided not to grant a patent because the device was easily copied.1
Although Lippershey is credited with the invention, Galileo Galilei is recognized for developing telescopes for astronomical observation in 1609.2