There's even a day for telescopes

On this day, October 2nd, in 1608 Hans Lipperhey, an eyeglass maker, applied for a patent of a telescope. He is credited with inventing the telescope, but his patent was reportedly rejected on the grounds that "anyone could make one". Galileo Galilei later improved and used telescopes for astronomical observations, but Lipperhey is widely considered the inventor of the telescope.

October 2nd is deemed "Telescope Day" in recognition of Hans Lipperhey's discovery.  This is not an anniversary that is registered with the Japan Anniversary Association. Moreover, it is not clearly known who established the anniversary. But October 2nd is known globally as "Telescope Day" and is frequently mentioned as one of the anniversaries of this date in the media and online. 

The featured photo of this post is of a spotting scope rather than a telescope. Although, I have a few photos of telescopes somewhere, I can't find them! You can find telescopes in various locations around Japan though. Many parts of Japan are fantastic for stargazing. Telescopes are made in Japan too. One of the largest telescopes in the world was built by a team of Japanese engineers in Hawaii; the Subaru Telescope. I believe in Japan the Seimei telescope in Okayama is the largest, not just in Japan but in the East Asian region.