Impact on Society.

What has the reflecting telescope done for society? It has posibly affected all of us, even though we may be unaware of its influence. Some ways it has changed society are:

*The telescope was initially used, not as a astronomical viewing tool, but as an instrument used for navigation and warfare. Some sources say that the telescope was a British invention, used to detect the Spanish enemy ships. Others say that Hans Lippershey first invented the telescope and some say that Galileo was the first. All reliable sources say that Hans Lippershey invented the lenses and Galileo was one of the first to record his observed results.

*The telescope in general proved to scientists that regularities exist in nature. The motion of the planets and stars show this.

*The telescope proved that the Earth rotates around the sun. This theory was not supported by the church, who believed in a geocentric model of the universe. This is very important because this has effected the way religion impacts on our lives. At the time of this discovery religion was very powerful. The new model of the universe was the first time science contridicted religion so strongly. Today religion has significantly less power. Is this a result of this discovery back then and the change in peoples beliefs?

*Reflecting telescopes provided inspiration for some of the formulae and laws, devised by some of the greatest physicists ever, such as Newton, Kepler and Einstein. Reflecting telescopes have also been used to gather information about stars. Some information now known about stars, including temperature, size and age have all been learnt from the use of reflecting telescopes.

*William Herschell used a telescope to recognise the shape of the milky-way galaxy. The information in a Hertzsprung-Russel diagram was collected using a large reflecting telescope. Galileo discovered that Jupiter has separate moons and 'rings' around it. These are just a few of the amazing discoveries made by using a telescope, in particular a reflecting telescope as they are the popular choice with most astronomers.

Conclusion:

Nobody has discovered a cure for cancer by looking into space. Chances are they never will. Knowing the movement of the planets through space and the shape of their orbits is not necessary for the survival of the human race or the way our society functions. Like many other scientific discoveries, the reflecting telescope was inspired from curiosity. How where we formed? How do stars die? Where is the edge of the universe? Are we alone? How will our own planet end? These are some questions that humans have answers to or want to know the answers to. The reflecting telescope will not provide all the information to form answers exclusively, but it will provide pieces of the puzzle to build up an answer from a number of sources. It is equally important becuase the bit of information it provides may be the vital piece needed.

It is important to remember that techniques learnt from one field of study often influence or are useful in another. It may be direct or indirect, but all discoveries and ideas are influenced from each other. What might be useless to an astronomer may just prove to be the vital link to a new computer program. Looking into the heavens may bring important discoveries closer to home, without that being the inital objective of the task.

"You don't know what you don't have until somebody else does"