The invention of the telescope is credited to Hans Lippershey, a Dutch spectacle maker who applied for the first patent in 1608. The device used a combination of convex and concave lenses to magnify distant objects. News of the 'spyglass' spread quickly to Italy, where Galileo Galilei improved the design and turned it toward the heavens in 1609. Galileo’s observations of the moon's craters, the phases of Venus, and the moons of Jupiter provided the first physical evidence for the Copernican heliocentric model (the Earth orbiting the sun). This invention fundamentally changed our understanding of the universe and our place in it, marking the birth of modern observational astronomy. It also had immediate practical applications in maritime navigation and military reconnaissance, allowing for the sighting of ships and armies long before they reached their destination.