Uranus Herschel began his telescope-making career in 1773 by experimenting with relatively small refractors but certainly not in length one of them was 30 feet 9 14 meters long Tools help scientists not only discover new creatures but also distant worlds Like van Leeuwenhoek German musician William Herschel built his own scientific tools with the help of his sister Caroline Their home-built telescopes were far more powerful than those they could buy In 1781 Herschel made his first discovery the planet Uranus Most people thought the planet was a star but seeing more clearly with his telescope Herschel saw it was a planet 6 William Herschel 1738 1822
Herschel’s research did not stop there Through the years he cataloged nebulae nurseries where stars are born and studied the sun moon and planets within our solar system He determined that Saturn’s rings are really made of particles Without powerful telescopes these distant worlds would have remained a mystery In the hands of William Herschel the telescope became a powerful scientific tool The telescope displayed here was Herschel’s favorite his 20-foot 6 1 meter reflector Quite a Visionary Hans Lippershey invented the first telescope around 1608 Legend has it that two children playing with lenses in Lippershey’s eyeglass shop inspired his invention Looking through two lenses at once they noticed a weathervane on a church looked much closer Lippershey attached a lens on either end of a tube inventing the new science tool 7 Hans Lippershey 1570 1619
All scientific tools enhance scientists natural abilities Even the hardest-working scientists are limited by how well they can see or hear Tools such as microscopes telescopes and audio equipment improve their abilities Scientists also can be limited by how well they can detect differences A scientist might ask which liquid is hotter A Graduated cylinders are a key piece of equipment in a scientific laboratory They are critical for measuring liquid volumes when conducting experiments 8
thermometer helps scientists know for sure Still other tools improve a scientist’s ability to conduct an experiment In a lab graduated cylinders and meter sticks allow them to make exact measurements as they work This leads to better results No matter the type tools of the trade help scientists do their jobs Scientists use a process called the The Scientific Method scientific method to conduct experiments and make discoveries They use different science tools each step of the way The five steps of the scientific method are 1 Observing and asking questions about the world 2 Researching to learn all you can about your question 3 Creating a hypothesis a testable answer to the question 4 Designing and conducting experiments to test the hypothesis conclusions and sharing the results 5 Analyzing results making with others 9
