The telescope turns 400 today…
On this day in history, 400 years ago Galileo Galilei demonstrated his telescope to a group of Venetian lawmakers. In March of the following year, he would publish his most famous work, Siderius Nuncius (commonly rendered in English as The Starry Messenger). This invention ushered in the modern era of astronomy, and quite literally changed our view of the universe and humanity’s place in it.
While Galileo’s telescope would be considered relatively crude by modern standards, it had an influence for hundreds of years. On the right I have a pair of field glasses that are actually a pair of Galileian telescopes paired together, dating back to roughly the start of the 20th century (I think). As binoculars, they basically suck (very narrow field of view) but they are a cool relic to have on your desk.