Hans Lippershey

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Hans Lippershey (1570–September 1619) was a Dutch lensmaker.

He was born in Wesel, in western Germany. He settled in Middelburg in the Netherlands, was married in 1594, and become a citizen in 1602. He remained in Middelburg until his death.

He was credited with creating and disseminating designs for the first practical telescope. Crude telescopes and spyglasses may have been created much earlier, but Lippershey is believed to be the first to apply for a patent for his design (beating out Jacob Metius by a few weeks), and making it available for general use in 1608. He failed to receive a patent but was handsomely rewarded by the Dutch government for copies of his design. The "Dutch perspective glass" the telescope that Lippershey invented could only see three times farther than the naked eye.

One story behind the creation of the telescope states that two children were playing with lenses in his shop. They discovered that images were clearer when seen through two lenses, one in front of the other. Lippershey was inspired by this and created a device very similar to the telescope today.

Lippershey crater, on the Moon, is named after him.