The telescope symbolizes the science of astronomy and had a pivotal role in the development of early modern science. Several excellent historical studies have already been written about it, notably Andre Danjon and Andre Couder's Lunettes et Telescopes in 1935, Henry King's The History of the Telescope in 1955, and Rolf Riekher's Fern-rohre und ihre Meister in 1990. As we approach the fourth centennial of the invention of the telescope, the Australian astronomer Fred Watsor presents a well-written, up-to-date history of the invention and development of the telescope and its impact on astronomy. As the astronomer-in-charge at the Anglo-Australian Observatory at Coonabarabran in New South Wales, Watson is well equipped to write such a history. He tells the fascinating story of the invention of simple telescopes by Dutch spectacle-makers in the early years of the seventeenth century, and recounts their evolution into the modern telescopes of today.
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