Galileo's Telescopes

Two telescopes Galileo Galilei made himself, side by side in the Museo Galileo in Florence. The lower, leather-covered tube, about 93 centimeters long, dates from 1609; the upper one, of wood and paper and about 127 centimeters long, from around 1610. These are the instruments of the years when Galileo saw mountains on the Moon and the moons of Jupiter. The ornate frame at the bottom edge of the photo holds a cracked objective lens he also made.