Newly discovered 1666 manuscript may trace four-lens telescope experiments to Galileo

A previously unknown 17th-century description of a four-lens terrestrial telescope attributed to Galileo was discovered by Dr. José María Moreno Madrid, a researcher at UL's School of History and Geography. The manuscript, titled De Tellescopiis Stellarum, provides a component-by-component description of a four-lens telescope described as "fabricatum a Galilaeo," or "manufactured by Galileo." The discovery suggests that experimentation with the four-lens telescope may have occurred earlier than previously believed, potentially attributed to Galileo himself. The manuscript details a telescope with a reverse-tapered design, an erecting eyepiece, and convex lenses separated by twice their focal lengths. The document also includes detailed diagrams and drawings of the instrument.

The manuscript, taken from the collections of the Biblioteca Nacional de España, was made by a Spanish Dominican friar named Ignacio Muñoz. The telescope was presented to Muñoz by Antonio Sebastián de Toledo Molina y Salazar, then viceroy of New Spain and Marquis of Mancera, as part of a test of Muñoz's scientific capabilities. The viceroy had exiled Muñoz in Portuguese India for his role in an attempt to illicitly establish a new order of Dominican friars in the Philippines. The manuscript provides evidence that the telescope may have been crafted by Galileo, and if so, it could shift the timeline of early modern telescope experimentation. The document also highlights the importance of Muñoz's background in mathematics and astronomy, as there is no reference to an optical configuration like this in any existing documentation produced or associated with Galileo or his contemporaries.

The discovery adds to the debate over Galileo's involvement in the development of the four-lens telescope. While Galileo is known for his work on telescopes, none of the eight telescopes manufactured in the first half of the 17th century can unequivocally be attributed to him. The manuscript provides a detailed technical analysis of a telescope that may have been crafted by Galileo, potentially shifting the timeline of its development. The document also underscores the significance of the manuscript in expanding the knowledge base for technical descriptions of 17th-century telescopes and highlighting these instruments as objects of prestige at the time. The research suggests that further investigation is needed to confirm the attribution of the telescope and enhance understanding of its design.

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