Naming of the Telescope

The telescope was first official coined a "telescope" by the Greek Poet Giovanni Demisiani. The name roughly translates from two Greek words: tele - meaning "far", and scopion - meaning "to look or see". These two were combined to make the word 'teleskopos' translated into "far seeing". The telescope was named at a banquet held by Prince Federico Cesi, honoring Galileo as he was made a member of the "Accademia dei Lincei". This naming also lead to the standard name of the "Galilean telescope," as Galileo's contributions and uses of the telescope overshadowed those made by initial inventor Hans Lippershey. Image from Wikipedia and is public domain. 

Associated Place(s)

Event date:

14 Apr 1611