Jacob Metius

Jacob Metius , actually Jacob Adriaansz (* after 1571 in Alkmaar ; † June 1628 ) was a Dutch instrument maker (lens grinder). He is one of three people who fought in the Netherlands in 1608 over the priority of the invention of the telescope (Galilei telescope ). The other two were Hans Lipperhey from Middelburg and Zacharias Janssen .

Life

Jacob Metius was the brother of the mathematician and cartographer Adriaan Metius (as he called himself Metius, which stands for measuring ) and the fourth son of the mathematician and fortress builder and long-time mayor of Alkmaar Adriaan Anthonisz . He was a full-time lens grinder and made glasses . He also demonstrated burning mirrors to the citizens of Alkmaar , with which he set objects on fire, and taught glass blowing . Its lens was convex and its eyepiece was concave like Lipperhey's. It enlarged three to four times.

In 1608 Metius filed a patent application for the invention of the telescope. But Lipperhey had gotten ahead of him three weeks. Metius tried to convince the Dutch government of the superiority of his design. The latter decided in October 1608 that the invention was too easy to copy to grant a patent, but Metius received a small sum of money (100 guilders) in recognition and Lipperhey received a government contract to manufacture it (totaling 900 guilders). When Lipperhey received the order, Metius, out of disappointment, refused to give any insight into his own invention until his death. Nobody was allowed to see through their telescope. Neither friends, relatives nor Moritz von Orange could change his mind and he took the “secret” of his invention with him to his grave. Even before that he was considered a shy eccentric.

Zacharias Janssen from Middelburg made the invention around the same time, but did not apply for a patent, but sold his invention straight away at the Frankfurt trade fair. In April 1609 telescopes could already be bought in Paris and four months later in Italy. Thomas Harris observed the moon in August 1609. Galileo Galilei recreated it in June / July 1609 and presented a telescope with eight times magnification to the Senate in Venice in August.

Web links

Individual evidence

↑ The Nieuw Nederlandsch Biografisch Woordenboek (article by Bruinvis) gives June 1628 as the date of death, Van der Aa (ed.), Biographisch Woordenboek der Nederlanden, states that the year of death is not known exactly, but is probably before 1631. According to the Galilei Project, he died between 1624 and 1631.

personal data
SURNAME	Metius, Jacob
ALTERNATIVE NAMES	Adriaansz, Jacob (real name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	Dutch instrument maker
DATE OF BIRTH	after 1571
PLACE OF BIRTH	Alkmaar
DATE OF DEATH	June 1628
Place of death	Alkmaar

[1] The Nieuw Nederlandsch Biografisch Woordenboek (article by Bruinvis) gives June 1628 as the date of death, Van der Aa (ed.), Biographisch Woordenboek der Nederlanden, states that the year of death is not known exactly, but is probably before 1631. According to the Galilei Project, he died between 1624 and 1631.