Hans Lippershey invented the first refracting telescope, but Isaac Newton invented the reflecting telescope in 1668. By using a curved mirror instead of a lens to gather light, Newton solved the problem of 'chromatic aberration' (color distortion). This allowed for much larger and clearer observations of the stars. This invention is the direct ancestor of the Hubble and James Webb Space Telescopes. It shifted our entire understanding of the universe, proving that the Earth was not the center of the cosmos and allowing us to see billions of light-years into the past.