A telescope is an optical instrument that uses lenses or mirrors to gather light and provide higher magnification and resolution than the naked eye. It allows astronomers to observe distant objects in space like planets, stars, and galaxies. There are two main types - reflecting telescopes which use curved mirrors, and refracting telescopes which use lenses. The first person to point a telescope skyward was Galileo Galilei in 1609, allowing him to observe details on the moon. Telescopes have helped astronomers determine key facts about the universe like its estimated age of 13-14 billion years.