Hold Barrel Gently With One Hand And Extend Eye Piece To Full Extension With Fingers On Other Hand Using A Gentle And Smooth Action With A Firm But Gentle Grip, Hold 1St Extension Piece Of The Barrel, With Fingers, Extend 2Nd Extension, Slowly In And Out To Focus. Telescope, Device Used To Form Magnified Images Of Distant Objects. The Telescope Is Undoubtedly The Most Important Investigative Tool In Astronomy. It Provides A Means Of Collecting And Analyzing Radiation From Celestial Objects, Even Those In The Far Reaches Of The Universe. Look Closely At Materials. Antique Telescopes Generally Have Tubes Made From Brass, Pasteboard Or Wood. Those Used By Sailors Tend To Be Bound With Plaited Rope Or Mahogany, While Military Pieces Are Finished Off. If The Brass Is Not Too Badly Marked Then A Light Polish With Brasso Or Solvol Autosol Or Any Other Mild Polish Should Suffice. Then Thoroughly Clean And Dry The Tube. Always Handle The Polished Unlacquered Brass With Gloved Hands As Your Finger Prints Will Tarnish Eventually And Show Up. Early Telescopes Were Primarily Used For Making Earth-Bound Observations, Such As Surveying And Military Tactics. Galileo Galilei (1564-1642) Was Part Of A Small Group Of Astronomers Who Turned Telescopes Towards The Heavens. The First Record Of A Telescope Comes From The Netherlands In 1608. It Is In A Patent Filed By Middelburg Spectacle-Maker Hans Lippershey With The States General Of The Netherlands On 2 October 1608 For His Instrument "For Seeing Things Far Away As If They Were Nearby".