The Telescope: 400 Years and Counting

From Wired Top Stories:

Quick -- name the invention that has done most to redefine our place in the universe. Hint: This invention was also the most seditious, blasphemous instrument of all time, shaking the very foundations of society. The answer, if you haven't already guessed it, is the telescope. It's hard to believe that this instrument, often sold as a cheesy toy in gift shops, is perhaps the single most important scientific instrument of all time.

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