always fascinated by new devices galileo heard that a craftsman from the netherlands had found a new use for common eyeglass lenses the first telescope to reach venice was a toy a novelty built to amuse party goers spectacles compared to telescopes are very low tech but they had been around for several hundred years it was only when lenses became available in certain range of strengths that one could take the weakest convex lens and combine it with the strongest concave lens and get an appreciable magnifying effect galileo set out to turn the dutchman's toy into a useful device hearing reports of a new invention from a lensmaker in holland i determined to fashion a device for myself and was able to make a considerable improvements in it galileo realized that spectacle makers could not give him the lenses that he needed in order to make this device more powerful they just weren't good enough and they weren't the right strength and so in order to improve the instrument he had to teach himself to grind lenses and that is extremely difficult and it certainly wasn't 1610. at first galileo was only interested in the optics of the telescope with his improved lenses he increased its power tenfold but his lenses did more than magnify by reshaping these pieces of glass galileo would eventually reshape our view of the world with his telescope galileo first set out to make some money the naval arsenal of venice was the greatest in all of europe what if the arsenal had a way to spot enemy ships hours before they appeared in the harbor wouldn't this give the navy a distinct advantage installing his new device at the top of saint mark's tower galileo arranged persuasive real-life demonstrations numerous gentlemen and senators more than once climbed the stairs of the highest bell towers of venice to observe vessels so far away at sea that two hours and more were required before they could be seen by naked eye without my spine glass from within the venetian senate came a handsome order for galileo to supply the arsenal with spy glasses galileo was given a generous lifetime salary for his service to the republic part scientist and part self-promoter for now his future seemed bright but soon his telescope would launch a dispute which would threaten to destroy its creator