Jacob Metius
Encyclopedia
Jacob Metius (b. after 1571, Alkmaar
– d. 1624-1631, Alkmaar) was a Dutch
instrument-maker and a specialist in grinding lenses
. He was born in Alkmaar
and was the brother of Adriaan Adriaanszoon (simply called Metius
). He is one of three people associated with the invention of the telescope, the other two being Hans Lippershey
and Zacharias Janssen
. Not much of him is known besides his 1608 patent application for the invetion. He died in Alkmaar between 1624 and 1631. Metius may have made many inventions but kept them secret. Before his death he destroyed them all to prevent anyone else from claiming them.
and concave eyepiece
may have been a superior design to Hans Lippershey telescope design which was submitted for patent only a few weeks before Metius'.
Metius informed the States General that he was familiar with the secrets of glassmaking, and that he could make an even better telescope with the government's support. When Metius perceived that the States General was reluctant to review his claim, he prohibited anyone from seeing his telescope.
In his Mathematical and Philosophical Dictionary (1795), Charles Hutton
writes:
The States General voted Jacob Metius a small award, although it ended up employing Lippershey to make binocular versions of the telescope. At his death, Metius’ tools were destroyed according to his wishes in order to prevent anyone from claiming the honor of inventing the telescope.
Alkmaar
Alkmaar is a municipality and a city in the Netherlands, in the province of Noord Holland. Alkmaar is well known for its traditional cheese market. For tourists, it is a popular cultural destination.-History:...
– d. 1624-1631, Alkmaar) was a Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
instrument-maker and a specialist in grinding lenses
Lens (optics)
A lens is an optical device with perfect or approximate axial symmetry which transmits and refracts light, converging or diverging the beam. A simple lens consists of a single optical element...
. He was born in Alkmaar
Alkmaar
Alkmaar is a municipality and a city in the Netherlands, in the province of Noord Holland. Alkmaar is well known for its traditional cheese market. For tourists, it is a popular cultural destination.-History:...
and was the brother of Adriaan Adriaanszoon (simply called Metius
Metius
Adriaan Adriaanszoon, called Metius, , was a Dutch geometer and astronomer. He was born in Alkmaar. The name Metius comes from the Dutch word meten , and therefore means something like "measurer" or "surveyor."-Father and brother:Metius was born at Alkmaar, North Holland...
). He is one of three people associated with the invention of the telescope, the other two being Hans Lippershey
Hans Lippershey
Hans Lippershey , also known as Johann Lippershey or Lipperhey, was a German-Dutch lensmaker commonly associated with the invention of the telescope, although it is unclear if he was the first to build one.-Biography:...
and Zacharias Janssen
Zacharias Janssen
Zacharias Jansen was a Dutch spectacle-maker from Middelburg associated with the invention of the first optical telescope. Jansen is sometimes also credited for inventing the first truly compound microscope...
. Not much of him is known besides his 1608 patent application for the invetion. He died in Alkmaar between 1624 and 1631. Metius may have made many inventions but kept them secret. Before his death he destroyed them all to prevent anyone else from claiming them.
Invention of the telescope
In October 1608, the States General discussed Jacob Metius's patent application for a device for "seeing faraway things as though nearby," consisting of a convex and concave lens in a tube, and the combination magnified three or four times. His use of a convex objective lensObjective (optics)
In an optical instrument, the objective is the optical element that gathers light from the object being observed and focuses the light rays to produce a real image. Objectives can be single lenses or mirrors, or combinations of several optical elements. They are used in microscopes, telescopes,...
and concave eyepiece
Eyepiece
An eyepiece, or ocular lens, is a type of lens that is attached to a variety of optical devices such as telescopes and microscopes. It is so named because it is usually the lens that is closest to the eye when someone looks through the device. The objective lens or mirror collects light and brings...
may have been a superior design to Hans Lippershey telescope design which was submitted for patent only a few weeks before Metius'.
Metius informed the States General that he was familiar with the secrets of glassmaking, and that he could make an even better telescope with the government's support. When Metius perceived that the States General was reluctant to review his claim, he prohibited anyone from seeing his telescope.
In his Mathematical and Philosophical Dictionary (1795), Charles Hutton
Charles Hutton
Charles Hutton was an English mathematician.Hutton was born at Newcastle-on-Tyne. He was educated in a school at Jesmond, kept by Mr Ivison, a clergyman of the Church of England...
writes:
- "In 1620, James Metius of Alcmaer, brother of Adrian Metius who was professor of mathematics at Franeker, came with Drebel to Middleburg, and there bought Telescopes of Jansen's children, who had made them public; and yet this Adr. Metius has given his brother the honour of the invention, in which too he is mistakenly followed by Descartes."
The States General voted Jacob Metius a small award, although it ended up employing Lippershey to make binocular versions of the telescope. At his death, Metius’ tools were destroyed according to his wishes in order to prevent anyone from claiming the honor of inventing the telescope.